


Humanities and Sciences

by StarvingLunatic



Series: In the Middle [3]
Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Birthday Sex, Bounty, Cat Girl, Childbirth, Children, Crime Fighting, Domestic, Drama, F/F, Family, Feuds, Fluff, Frustration, Healing, Hunt Gone Wrong, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Mad Science, Major Character Injury, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Martial Arts, Novel, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Polyamory, Polygamy, Post-Series, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage, Sequel, Sexual Content, Surprise Party, Threesome - F/F/F, Weddings, Wordcount: 100.000-150.000, Wordcount: Over 100.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-04
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-20 11:30:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 117,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4785761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarvingLunatic/pseuds/StarvingLunatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BoKiGo. Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2358098">In the Middle</a>! Come see how Bonnie, Kim, and Shego live their lives, live together, and try to work a relationship between the three of them. A series of one-shots... kinda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Genetics 101 — How to Make a Cat-girl

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. Well, except for Cali. She’s mine. 
> 
> Hello, all! The Lunatic returns with a bit of [In the Middle](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2358098) flavor for you. For this story to make sense to you, you probably need to read In the Middle before tackling this one. The format is different from In the Middle. The chapters are not as long as In the Middle and there’s not much plot, just following the trio’s lives, like before.

Humanities and Sciences

1: Genetics 101 — How to Make a Cat-girl 

Dementor frowned as he studied his notes for at least the millionth time. Nothing added up the way he wanted them to — and he meant way beyond the impossible mathematical formulas that littered his paper. The concept he wanted to create was just beyond him. He began to realize there was no way he could start from scratch. He had no idea what “scratch” was in this case. He was out of his element.

“I need that damned cat back,” he grumbled to himself, pushing away from his desk in deep disgust with himself.

A frown set into his face that was so deep, it looked like it went all the way through his skull. He glared at his notes, like he wanted to make them burst into flames. He was close to shoving them off of the table, but he had done that before and was in no mood to have to put them back in order.

“I should be able to do this on my own! Stealing another’s work makes me no better than that fool Drakken! Worse yet, stealing another’s work and needing it to complete my own work puts me on the exact same level as Drakken!” he hollered louder than usual, wanting to vent some of his frustration. He had been doing that a lot lately. Shouting had not helped, though.

The thought of being like Drakken turned his stomach — literally. After a trip to the bathroom, he returned to his desk and looked over his notes more vigorously than before, hoping to find some clue for what he desired to do. There was no way he was going to end up like Drakken! He would never turn into a hack that had to steal more stuff than he could ever create only to finally snap and betray the one person in his life that could do something properly and then end up in jail over it with no way out. Yes, most of the criminal underworld knew of what Drakken did to Shego. It was old news by now, but still quite telling of a man no one really respected in the first place and now was really at the bottom of everyone’s decent villain list. Hell, for some, he was at the bottom of their “decent human being” list.

Dementor silently admitted to himself Drakken sort of inspired him when it came to his current problem. The reason he had taken that “damned cat” in was because he noticed the one good thing Drakken had going for him — Shego. _Odd that the beady-eyed idiot would try to kill the one good thing in his life_ , Dementor thought. But, then again, he had also tossed away one of the better things in his life, so he could not really judge Drakken in that regard. Although at least that damned cat had really tried to hurt him. Word around the villain scene about Drakken was that he had gone after Shego just because he thought she was leaving and the blue numbskull did not even have proof of that.

He wondered what in the hell made Drakken think of himself as genius considering some of the things that he had done. Yes, it was a good move for the moron to hire Shego since she could do all of his heavy work and also get him goods he could not seem to invent himself, even though Drakken swore he was a genius. It was a brilliant move, but of course, it had drawbacks.

Dementor, always the keen observer and researcher, had noticed how critical Shego was to Drakken’s overall existence, and thought he could use a helper similar to her. Someone whom stealth came to as naturally as breathing, someone he could send into highly secure areas and trust she would never be detected. Someone loyal to a fault and would attack relentlessly upon order. And yet, someone without Shego’s smart-ass personality because he was not looking to put up with constant berating or sass, which Drakken seemed to accept for some reason. That damned cat had been perfect for the job because she was more than just a damned cat, he recalled.

He knew from the moment he saw her in the mountains about a year ago that something was different with that damned cat. First off, she had always been too big for a cat. And then he found out who was in the area and he was able to figure out she was more than a cat. Extensive testing later proved his theory. She was a creature that instinctively held the traits he sought in a sidekick because she was half-cat and half-dog. Unfortunately, she was all beast, and not quite able to comprehend some of his more complex commands; she had fetch down, though! He had assumed that was where his great genius was going to come in. 

Looking over his notes again, he thought about how he swore he was going to make scientific history by basically one-upping DNAmy. Instead of combining the genetics of two animals, he was going to take it a step further and combine the DNA of a third — a human. His plan was for the new creature to have the comprehension skills of a human, so that his sidekick could understand him and also give some basic responses. He needed a sidekick who could somewhat think on her own if she was out alone on a mission and something happened. He also did not want to have to deal with having a wild beast on his hands.

Good idea, poor execution.

His notes reminded him just how lucky he got in his execution. Sure, she had come out as he expected, but there were plenty of side effects he had not calculated in and he had not even gotten his expectations on purpose. During one of the experiments that damned cat decided she would rather chase a mouse than sit, as he had commanded several times. While chasing the filthy rodent, she had knocked over a few chemicals he planned to use that day and then she trampled a very delicate piece of machinery, disrupting its circuits and causing sparks to fly, which, of course, hit the chemicals she had just knocked over. The explosion she caused was immense. Thankfully, he had been wearing his helmet or all kinds of debris would have torn his face off. He had been wounded that day, but he turned out to be rather fortunate in only receiving minor injuries.

“Stupid beast,” he hissed in anger as he recalled that all of the screaming in the world had not stopped her in her pursuit of a simple mouse.

Of course, he had been more than surprised when the smoke cleared that the damned cat was lying in the middle of the rubble in human form. She had the shape he wanted and she was capable of some learning, enough for him to send her on missions and she would come back with what he wanted most of the time.

But, thanks to her idiocy and beast mentality, she had ruined the chance for him to learn how he had managed to turn her into a human. He was not sure if it was the chemicals that she trampled or the experiments that he had done her earlier that or a combination of both that turned her human. She also ruined the chance for him to understand what had gone wrong since she was not perfect, as she should have been.

The damned cat had mutated into a human, but somehow was able to transform back into a feline form, too. Her physical canine traits had almost completely vanished. She retained most of her canine instincts, though. Not that that did him any good. 

They found out about that after the damned thing panicked when it woke up in its human form. He recalled that was the first time the damned cat had ever attacked him. He had been able to put her in her place that time and he had assumed there would be no more of that. Boy, was he ever wrong about that!

“I should have taken a blood sample before I threw the stupid wretch out,” he sighed, shaking his head at his own hasty behavior. Of course, he had plenty of her blood before she blew up the lab. He had not gotten back to experimenting on her, so he forgot to replace the blood supply. So, he seriously had nothing to research on. She had not even left behind a hairball. 

It was settled. He was going to have to find that worthless flea-magnet. It would not be too hard. He had put a tracking device in her, just in case she got lost one day… or just in case she wandered off, following some disgusting rodent. So, now all he had to do was get the device’s location, grab the annoying little monster, and chop her up in the name of science. And maybe a little revenge.

“I’ll get this out of the way and then perfect this gene splicing and mutation!” he declared with his typical confidence, throwing his hand up. He soon found it was not so simple. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Cali, get your fat ass off the counter! You know you’re not supposed to be up there!” Shego ordered the feline, who pawed at the kitchen cabinets.

Cali turned and got the look in her wide eyes that screamed “who me?” as she saw she was way busted. Seeing emerald green eyes glaring at her, she shrank back and tried to look as sorry as possible. Shego rolled her eyes and stormed over to the cat. 

“Look, if you want something, either ask for it or at the least put yourself in your other form. You might need the opposable thumbs for something, after all,” Shego remarked with a snort. “Now, what do you want? More tuna?” she asked, glancing over at the empty food dish.

Cali’s eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically in response, as if saying more tuna would be great! Shego rolled her eyes again, grabbed a can, and filled the food bowl. Cali quickly attacked the meal while Shego went back to the living room, reclining on the couch.

“I’m so bored,” Shego groaned, flopping down all the way on the sofa. She considered she might just go to sleep. It would take up time before Kim or Bonnie finally came in. “Who the hell goes to work on a Saturday?” she grumbled with a pout.

Bonnie went to work on Saturday, that was who. The scrappy brunette had gone to work earlier after getting an emergency call about one of the cases she was handling. She had raced out of the door like Kim did when she was called away for a mission. Of course, Kim at least remembered to give her girlfriends goodbye kisses. Bonnie had forgotten that bit for a couple of minutes, but had run back into their apartment to kiss them farewell.

Not too long after Bonnie ran out of the house, Kim got called away on a mission. Kim had requested Shego tag along with her, but Shego just was not interested. So, Shego was on her own with the cat. She sulked in the living room, her expression making her feelings clear about being left alone. Cali seemed to resent she was not considered good enough company because she suddenly demanded attention. She leaped on the couch and landed right on Shego’s chest. Shego coughed and her body bent under the sudden weight and surprise attack. She groaned as the calico feline purred contently and settled on her.

“Damn it, Cali! You probably cracked my ribs with your big ass!” Shego complained with a grimace etched on her face as she eased back into her resting position. It was unlikely, but it felt like Cali could break some bones jumping on people like that. 

Cali blinked, having the nerve to look skeptical. Shego sighed and brought a hand up to pet the cat. Cali purred again and laid down on her master’s chest, making sure to cuddle in as deeply as possible. 

“You’re lucky I’m so bored. That’s the only reason I’m petting you, you got it?” Shego stated, trying her best to sound upset. Cali merely closed her eyes, not even acknowledging that she heard the woman.

Before long, the cat was asleep and Shego was on her way to taking a nap, too, but a flashing light caught her eye. The alarm was going off, alerting her that an intruder was lurking around the building. She smiled. There was something to do! She could kick someone’s butt. 

Reaching for the remote, she turned on the television and turned to the channel that held the security images around the building. She scanned several of the pictures on screen before she found the one that showed her that someone was trying to get in. She selected that picture for a closer look and it took over the whole television screen. A hovercraft was taking up air space in the alley alongside the building’s roof. Using the remote, she was able to zoom in to see who was piloting the craft.

“Wade thinks of everything… and thank God he likes to do everything from a seat,” Shego commented. It had been Wade who made the security cameras remote control. “Now, what idiot is actually trying to break into the building?” she said, seeing several bulky men in uniforms flooding into the alley as the hovercraft set down on the ground. Moving the camera some, she got a good look at who was calling the shots. “What the hell is Dementor doing here?” she wondered aloud, her face scrunching up a bit in confusion.

Well, it was pretty clear what he was doing there — trying to get in. _Why the hell is he trying to get in, though?_ Dementor was not usually a villain who would hunt Kim down to get to her.

Shego absently petted Cali while pondering just what she should do about Dementor. She could always just press a button and about a million lasers would fire. Well, it was not really that many, but Shego thought the Possible twins and Wade had gone very overboard when it came to lasers. In fact, she recalled one of the tweebs declared, “You can never have too many lasers!” She had yet to figure out the logic in that statement.

It then dawned on her that she was stroking a cat while contemplating firing lasers. A laugh had to escape her throat. She let that thought go as she had realized something else.

“Why fire lasers? That wouldn’t be any fun,” she said to the air. It was true. Her boredom would not vanish with the push of a button. No, her attention span demanded action and that was what it would get. 

Shego put Cali down — rather gently in spite of her earlier complaining — before exiting the apartment. Instead of taking the elevator down, she leaped out of the window in the hallway, smiling all the way down. She landed safely — on top of a henchman. He grunted on impact while she grinned. She ended up on her own two feet while the henchman was laid out on the ground, unconscious.

“Good afternoon, gents. Is there anything I can help you with?” Shego inquired, looking like a very happy shark. The henchmen and Professor Dementor all turned their attention to her.

“Shego? What are you doing here?” Dementor demanded, yelling as always. He even looked outraged, before she had done anything, she noted.

For a moment, Shego regard him as if he were a moron. It was far from a secret what she was doing there. “I live here. I’m guessing your excuse has to do with the fact that you’re garbage and that’s why you’re hanging out by the dumpster,” she remarked with her trademark smirk. 

“You live here?” Dementor echoed before his mouth practically hit the floor of his hovercraft. And then he screamed. “That stupid cat! Of course it would end up somewhere like here!” If he were not wearing the helmet, he would have been tearing out his hair.

Shego was confused by the outburst, but figured since Dementor was half-insane anyway, most things that came out of his mouth probably were mysteries that she would never get. Not to mention, thanks to his ridiculous accent, she barely understood him anyway. She crouched down into a defensive stance, in case his henchmen wanted to dance. They wisely did not move. 

“So, again I ask, what’re you doing here, Dementor?” Shego inquired. Her tone was still a little playful, but she was clearly not messing around.

“Just give me the cat and I’ll be out of your hair,” he informed her. It seemed like a reasonable request to him. The cat was worthless to him, so she was even lower than that to anyone else — in his opinion anyway.

Shego’s face twisted a little, bewildered once again. “The cat? What the hell cat are you talking about?” _He isn’t here for Kimmie?_ Now this visit was just plain weird. 

“You know what cat I’m talking about! Now hand her over!” Dementor ordered, putting his hand out as if she would just drop the cat in his palm.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but even if I did, I wouldn’t do what you said because you didn’t use the magic word,” Shego remarked, wagging her finger at him.

Dementor let out a frustrated yell before ordering the henchmen to get her. Shego was a bit surprised that the men did not hesitate, but then again, she had been out of circulation for so long, she supposed they forgot what she was capable of. The narrow alleyway served her well as only two henchmen could comfortably come at her and she was able to put them on their asses with several well placed kicks. She was ready to yawn from the repetitive nature of their attacks. 

“I’m not even working up a sweat here, fellas,” she taunted them, waving them on, wanting more to come at her if possible. Hell, it would at least be funny to see at least three men trying to charge her at once in the confined space.

“Ah, what is wrong with you? Can’t you get one woman?” Dementor screamed with his usual patience. 

“Really, Dementor? ‘One woman’? You wound me,” Shego joked as she flattened a couple more of his men.

“I guess if you want something right,” he remarked, pushing a button on his craft.

Shego barely noticed the red dots that suddenly appeared on her, but realized it just in time. She leaped back as several lasers zeroed in on the spot that she was in barely a second ago. _I guess he believes you can’t have too many lasers as well_. Landing, she looked up just in time to see more henchmen coming at her. Catching one by the arm, she spun him around and tossed him into the men advancing on her. That was all the time Dementor needed to take aim at her again. He singed her hair that time. 

“Damn it, you’re going to pay for that!” Shego declared, flaring her hands while smoke filtered off of her head.

Dementor, to his credit, did not look the least bit intimidated by her. It was not something Shego liked. And then he had to go and say something that she liked even less.

“Bring it on, wench!” Dementor proclaimed, moving his hovercraft closer to her.

Shego let loose a plasma blast, going right for Dementor’s big helmet encrusted head. She was trying to teach him a lesson as to why it was a bad idea to call her out of her name, but her lesson did not go through. He only laughed as her plasma rocketed closer, which annoyed her. The blast smashed against a transparent shield and dispersed without touching Dementor and that upset her further. 

“My turn!” he hollered, a determined and slightly maniacal glint in his eyes.

Shego gulped as scarlet dots covered her body and she dived out of the way to avoid being dissected by lasers. Dementor laughed as he continued to fire, not even aiming anymore it seemed. Shego managed to avoid getting hit, but many buildings of the neighborhood were not so lucky.

“I hope they don’t expect me to pay for those,” Shego muttered. Of course, if the people who owned those buildings were smart, they had gotten insurance when Kim moved into the neighborhood. 

-8-8-8-8-

Cali yawned and stretched. Rolling over, she realized she was on the couch and not on Shego’s chest anymore. Well, that hardly made sleeping worth it. Noise then reached her sensitive ears, causing her to flick them with her paw. Well, if she was no longer on a comfortable, warm body and there was all that noise, there really was no point in sleeping anymore as far as she was concerned.

Flipping over, so that she fell off of the couch, Cali opened her eyes and took note of the television. For a moment, she thought it was one of those martial arts movies her humans could not seem to get enough. But, then she realized one of the people on screen was one of her humans and the other was her old alpha! She then remembered that sometimes the things on TV were things happening outside. Her humans explained it to her as simply as they could and called it “security.” So, her human was probably fighting with her old alpha. 

Acting without thinking, Cali was off, leaping out of the third story window and landing with all the grace of a feline. She was outside within seconds and launching herself at Dementor. A roar escaped her throat as she shifted from a cat to cat-girl instantly, looking ready to devour anyone who would dare to hit one of her humans. She moved to tackle Dementor, only to slam into his shield. Hitting the ground with a heavy thud, a soft, pained mew escaped her throat. Shaking her head, she tried to keep her brain from swimming.

“Damn it, Cali, you’re about as helpful out here as you are in the kitchen,” Shego teased as she rolled over to the cat-girl to make sure she was all right.

“Wha happ’d?” the dazed feline inquired. It looked like she was seeing stars, especially with the way her head wobbled from side to side. 

“You face-planted into an energy shield. Now, get up before I have to explain to Kimmie why the kitten got chopped up,” Shego ordered, yanking the cat-girl to her feet, so she was not hit with any of the lasers.

The pair got up just in time to avoid more lasers from both Dementor and his crew. They ducked behind the dumpster, which was thick enough to hold for a few minutes against Dementor’s attack. Shego then turned her attention to Cali. 

“Okay, Cali, listen to me,” Shego said and she got a nod out of the feline. “We’ve going to run back out there, take out as many of those guys as we can before ducking back into the other alley for cover. If we take out enough of his back up, Dementor will probably give up. Understand?” 

“Yes,” Cali nodded again and smiled. One of the best things about her humans, aside from loving to cuddle and pet her, they explained things without yelling. Unlike the old alpha, who never seemed to stop yelling. “How come he’s here?” she asked curiously. 

“I get the feeling he wants you if the fact that he keeps asking for ‘the cat’ means anything,” Shego answered.

Golden eyes went wide. “You’re not going to give me back, are you?” she asked in a tearful tone. 

“Yeah, Cali, I’m out here getting my ass whipped to hand back the cat that saved my Duchess to a guy I hate. Totally giving you back,” Shego replied and rolled her eyes, forgetting Cali did not have quite the hold on sarcasm as a normal person did.

“Why?” Cali demanded with tears folding her eyes. “I was a good cat, right? I won’t bother you for tuna anymore!” she promised, hoping that was enough. She was willing to behave even better and sacrifice a lot more if it meant staying with her three humans now rather than going back to the old alpha.

Shego sighed and reached out to caress Cali’s head. It was a little awkward since in her human form, Cali was actually taller than she was. Cali smiled, understanding that a lot more than sarcasm. Once the crisis that was having a giant cat-monster in tears was averted, the pair turned their combined attention to the attacking forces.

Dashing out into the fray, they both dodged lasers and took apart whatever henchmen they ran by before ending up in the alley opposite the last one. They pressed themselves close to the wall for defense. They paused for a minute, listening as Dementor screamed at them to surrender the cat. 

“I want that mangy, good-for-nothing, flea-bag of a cat now! So, give me the cat if you know what’s good for you!” the mad scientist bellowed. 

“Funny, I always imagined him using the word ‘pussy.’ But, I guess it’s good he isn’t, or I’d have died laughing by now,” Shego muttered.

“Does he still have the shield thing?” Cali asked.

“He’ll probably keep that up until we break it.”

“I could hit it really hard.”

“So can I, kitten. Maybe we should hit it together. If we put enough force on it, it might short circuit,” Shego considered. Her plasma energy could easily disrupt electronics if she put the right amount of effort in.

“Okay. Where should I hit it?”

“You come from the top, I’ll come from below. This way, if we break through, I’ll end up ruining the hovercraft, too, and you’ll end up on bucket-head’s… well, bucket-head,” Shego answered.

With that semi-plan in hand, they rushed out again. Cali went for the high ground, leaping onto a light post before climbing to the second story of a building. Dementor turned his machine to her, figuring he would stun her and get out of here before things got even worse.

Cali avoided the lasers and then pounced, like a lion on an antelope. Dementor took aim again, thinking he had her since she could not dodge in the air when suddenly the craft rocked violently. He was knocked back as the ship was pushed up and then Cali landed on it, shoving it back down as her large hands impacted the top of the shield.

“Damn it, Cali, your fat ass is bringing the thing down!” Shego teased, grunting as she pressed back, even though she was going down.

“I’m not fat! If you keep saying that, I’m gonna tell Kimmie!” Cali whined, pushing down harder on the craft.

The sound of electricity popping drowned out any other words they might have exchanged. Shego grunted as her feet hit the ground again and she tried her best to keep a good grip on the ship, but it did not work out. She ended up shifting and tossed the craft off to the side. Cali yowled at the sudden change of direction and leaped off before the hovercraft crashed into a building across the street.

“Shit, I might have to pay for that,” Shego grimaced. 

A buzzing sound echoed through the air as glass and stone fell from the building and onto the crashed hovercraft. Dementor coughed and crawled out of the rubble, hearing enough crackling and buzzing to know it would not be wise to remain close to the vehicle. As soon as he was out, Cali was on him, bearing her weight on his arms to make sure he could not get up and get away. She growled at him.

“Remove yourself from me, you filthy wretch!” Dementor commanded, struggling to get away from her. He was shocked she did not obey and she was shocked she had not _almost_ obeyed. He was once her alpha and she used to do everything he commanded, but apparently, not anymore.

“You might want to watch what you say, Dementor. Cali there hasn’t eaten all day,” Shego taunted him as she strolled over.

Cali, wanting to growl at Shego, instead snarled at the mad scientist again, showing off long, pointy teeth. She could hear his heart pounding his chest, rightfully fearing her. He knew all too well that she would hurt him if he pushed her. He whimpered and turned pleading eyes to Shego.

“Get the beast off of me,” he implored Shego.

“Really? Why should I do that? I mean, you just attacked me,” Shego pointed out with a scoff.

“I’ll do anything! You must get her off me!” he begged, trying to get up on his own. Cali just pressed harder.

“Sure, soon as the cops get here. I hope this’ll get you to leave Cali alone in the future because if you don’t, next time I might not stop her when she gets the urge to tear your windpipe out,” Shego vowed.

Cali glanced at Shego for a moment and something in those green eyes told her to play up the vicious animal routine. Growling again, she reminded Dementor of a lion, complete with large canine teeth. He imagined she could easily cut through his spine with her teeth alone. Curling into a ball as best he could, he prayed to protect his innards from the wild beast above him.

“Now, why the hell are you so bent on getting Cali, anyway?” Shego inquired, calmly turning around to dispatch a few henchmen that seemed to think they were creeping up on her. She kept her attention on the grounded scientist, honestly curious as to why he was so interested in Cali, aside from the fact that she was any weird anime geek’s wet dream.

“She is my property! Return her to me!” Dementor demanded, speaking directly to Shego with the hope that it would not anger the beast on his chest.

“I don’t think she wants to go,” Shego quipped with a grin, looking rather cat-like in her own right. Cali growled in agreement.

Dementor tried to suppress his outrage, but he could not do it. “It doesn’t matter what this stupid beast thinks! I’m the one who saved her and created her, and she should be grateful that I didn’t kill her a hundred times over!”

“I don’t think threatening her life is going to help,” Shego chuckled as the sirens wailed in the distance. The police were probably headed right for them and she smiled, rather amused at how Dementor had utterly failed in taking Cali. “Cali, you might want to get up,” she suggested.

“But…” Cali looked from Shego to Dementor.

“He won’t get away. I’ll keep him down,” Shego vowed.

Cali nodded to show she trusted her human and eased off of her former master. As cars approached, Cali quickly changed into her cat form, having been told by her humans that her other form would attract a lot more attention, which was not something she wanted. She was all too aware that attention could be both good and bad, but mostly bad. And she was not willing to risk negative attention.

Shego kept the frightened cat close as she could while Dementor was hauled away. She had to answer some questions from the police until Global Justice showed up to take custody of Dementor. Then Shego had to deal with them, which was no picnic, since they always assumed she had something to do with things when something bad happened. When television news cameras were thrown into the mix, Shego knew it was time for her to make herself scarce, whether she was supposed to or not.

The pale woman disappeared back into the apartment and back to the couch. She yawned and stretched before flopping down on the sofa. Cali resumed her position on Shego’s chest, yawning and stretching too. Her eyes slowly drifted shut as Shego gently scratched the scruff of her neck. She was asleep within seconds and Shego was right behind her, falling into a rather peaceful slumber.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego awoke to the smell of food. Since there was no pressure on her chest, she correctly assumed Cali was up already. Indeed, the feline was awake and on the coffee table, eyeing the plastic bags that were on top of the furniture.

“You’re finally up, love? We were going to eat without you for a moment,” Bonnie commented as she stepped into the living room.

Shego scoffed. “We don’t eat without Kim when she’s three thousand miles away, so I highly doubt you were going to eat without me and I’m three inches from the food,” she remarked. 

“Yeah, but you’re nowhere as lovable as my baby,” Bonnie teased, smiling as she spoke.

“Speaking of Kim, where is she?” Shego inquired with a yawn as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“I’m in the kitchen! You’d know that if you’d bother to get off of the couch!” Kim replied.

“What is this, ‘bug the hell out of Shego’ day? First Cali, then Dementor, now you two,” Shego grumbled as she stretched out her arms.

“Dementor? What happened with Dementor?” Kim asked, coming out of the kitchen to hear the story up close and not miss any of the details.

“And why do I have a feeling it’s the reason all of the cop cars and news reporters were outside when I came in?” Bonnie added. Arching an eyebrow, she asked, “You’re not in trouble again, are you, sweetness?”

Shego rolled her eyes. “Hell, no, I’m not in trouble. Me and the fat tabby are the heroes of the day,” she proclaimed, comically beating on her chest. Cali turned to her and let out what she would have liked to be a menacing growl, but was nothing more than an indignant whine.

“You and Cali?” Kim echoed, not sure what to make of that. She went over to the cat and picked her up. Caressing underneath Cali’s chin, she turned her attention back to Shego for the rest of the explanation.

“Dementor showed up, saying he wanted Cali for whatever reason. He had a bunch of men and lasers with him, but Cali didn’t feel like going,” Shego quipped with a proud smile.

“Cali, is that what happened? Dementor tried to come take you back?” Kim asked the feline, knowing she would never get an answer from Cali in her cat form.

“Now, that’s the thing that gets me, Princess. Dementor used to own Cali?” Shego inquired with a furrowed brow. She remembered something about Cali being his sidekick, but the story came out on a day Bonnie had almost been killed, so some of it was a blur if it did not revolve around saving Bonnie.

“I don’t know the whole story, but Cali was his sidekick for a little while. That’s how I first ran into her. Of course, when I first met her, she was in this adorable form,” Kim replied, petting Cali with just a little more intensity, earning several delighted, hedonistic purrs from the cat. Shego and Bonnie stared at Cali for a moment.

“You keep purring like that, fur-ball, and we’re going to forbid Kimmie from touching you,” Bonnie playfully threatened the feline. Cali snorted, sounding quite outraged by that. After all, she made those noises whenever one of her humans petted her.

“Cali, why don’t you tell us about Dementor,” Shego suggested. Cali snorted again, shaking her head to disagree. She hated leaving her feline form and ever since meeting her new humans, she did not leave it unless one of the humans were in trouble.

“Cali, come on, tell Shego and Bonnie about Dementor,” Kim implored her and then played very unfair by rubbing Cali with both hands. The cat twisted and turned as Kim stroked all of her weak points. Kim then let go and Cali rolled over onto the floor. 

“No fair!” Cali whined in her humanoid form and rubbing her now sore hip.

“It’s no fair that you’re being a little mooch and you don’t want to explain why Dementor is out here looking for you. Tell us what’s going on in your life and your life before us,” Shego said to the feline. 

“There’s shrimp in it for you,” Bonnie added, grabbing one of the bags and pulling out a food container.

Cali’s eyes went wide as they tracked the box that contained one of her favorite meals. She purred and sat fully up, sort of mimicking her sitting position of her cat form. Padding over to Bonnie, she smiled up at the lawyer, hoping to get her treat now.

“No, Cali, you talk first and then feast later,” Bonnie stated in a tone that let everyone in the household know how serious she was. 

Cali snorted and turned her nose up. “Fine. But, right after that, I can have the shrimps, right?”

“Yes, you get the shrimp right after that,” Bonnie promised.

The cat-girl grinned. “Okay. The man you call Dementor was my alpha. He saved me after the first alpha tossed me out. He changed me…” she trailed off because she was not quite sure how to put it. Glancing down, she stared at her muscular limbs. The limbs that were so not right, she always thought. “He changed me into this form and he made me steal stuff for him,” she said.

“So, what happened? Why aren’t you stealing stuff anymore?” Shego asked. She really wished that none of this made any sense, but with the world they lived in, it was hard to make a skeptic out of her on a lot of things.

“He was always so loud, always screaming and calling me mean names,” Cali pouted and pulled her knees to her chest. “I didn’t even have a name until I met Kimmie. She found me and fed all kinds of delicious stuff that the old alpha — Dementor — never did. She was nice to me…” Ears flattened against Cali’s fluffy, long hair. “…He was not nice…” 

“Did he hurt you?” Bonnie asked quietly, scratching Cali’s ear to give her a little comfort.

“…Sometimes…” Cali admitted in a low voice, glancing away. 

“Bastard,” Shego growled. “I should’ve punted his short ass!” she declared, making a tight fist. She silently promised to hurt him much worse if they ever crossed paths again.

“So, did you run away?” Bonnie asked the cat-girl.

“I hurt him. He just kept screaming and screaming and I hit him. I thought I killed him, so I went to Kimmie for help. She came back with me and he wasn’t killed. He threw me out, so I followed Kimmie back here,” Cali answered. 

“If he threw you out, why did he want you back?” Shego wondered aloud, rubbing her chin in thought.

The cat-girl shrugged. “I dunno. Shrimp now?” she pled with big, begging golden eyes.

“Not yet, kitty. When the hell did Dementor start making cat-girls? I mean, mutant giant animals, yeah, but crazy cat-girls that turn back into cats?” Shego said, shaking her head. It did not make any sense.

“Um… he didn’t make me. The first alpha was a nice lady, but then I made her angry and she started yelling and she threw me out, too,” Cali reported with a pout. She shivered, recalling how once warm, loving arms had held her only for those same arms to force her out into the freezing snow.

“DNAmy?” Kim guessed. She always suspected DNAmy had a hand in Cali’s creation, but she did not have any proof and it did not matter anyway. 

“That sounds like one of her deals. But, why did she throw you out? In fact, why did she make a cat-girl?” Shego asked, trying to wrap her head around everything.

“I didn’t start out like this. Dementor made me like this,” Cali said, motioning to her body. “The first alpha made me a…I was a…I think she called it a kippy,” she said. 

“Kippy?” Bonnie echoed.

“Knowing DNAmy, Cali started out as something that was part puppy and part kitten and all cuddly,” Shego commented. 

“Okay, and why did she throw you out?” Bonnie asked the cat. 

Cali shrugged. “I’m not sure. I didn’t really understand human words at the time. I just went hunting and brought her back a gift. It was real hard to kill and it was so much bigger than me, but I thought it would be a good gift for such a big alpha. She didn’t look too happy,” the cat-girl explained, her face falling.

“And she chased you out?” Kim guessed.

Cali nodded sadly. “I backed out into the snow. She was so angry. I didn’t know what I did wrong. I just wanted to give her a present. I thought she’d like it, like that I could hunt by myself, but she didn’t.”

“You probably hunted one of her other great creations,” Shego remarked, shaking her head.

“So, I did something bad?” Cali asked, face curled up in confused. No one told her it was bad. Even the first alpha never actually told her it was bad to hunt. Bad to kill from what she remembered, but not bad to hunt. 

“No, Cali, you didn’t do anything bad,” Bonnie promised her, petting her head. “This DNAmy lady didn’t know what she was doing if she got upset with you for hunting. If she mixes a cat with a dog, what did she expect in the first place?” Bonnie shook her head. None of Kim’s foes ever made sense.

“Duchess, don’t try to make sense of any of it. Super villains do things for really stupid reasons more often than not, mostly because they’re crazy,” Shego commented.

Bonnie decided not to argue with that, knowing Shego knew villains much better than she did. They did not really have any new information and Cali did not seem to know much else. They let Cali change back into her cat form and she attacked her dinner of shrimp and rice. The trio also enjoyed their dinner before curling up on the couch for some time together. They turned the TV on. 

“Oh, look who’s on the news,” Bonnie said in sing-song voice.

Shego groaned, not even having to look. Cali turned to see and was stunned to find that she and Shego were on television. Having a much better understanding of television now than when she first showed up, Cali was glad she did not think it really was her and Shego in the box because she knew that would have freaked her out. Still, she went in for a closer look. Kim and Bonnie could not resist teasing. 

“Ready for your close up, miss TV star?” Kim remarked with a taunting smile.

“Maybe a stroll down the catwalk now that your TV career has reached its peak,” Bonnie added as Cali leaped into her lap and stared at the television. 

Shego smirked lewdly. “Peak? Is that an offer?” she asked with hope in her eyes.

“Later, after our little kitty goes to sleep,” Bonnie promised, scratching the top of Cali’s head.

“Am I invited to this clandestine meeting or what?” Kim inquired.

“If you’re good, we might let you watch,” Shego taunted the redhead.

Kim made a mocking face, but their plans for the night were made at that moment. They were a little self-conscious about making love with Cali wandering around awake in the apartment. Ever since they found out that she was pretty much a sentient being, they treated her just a little different. Shego made sure to tease her more, but Kim and Bonnie actually babied the cat more. They found her even more adorable, but also, they found themselves a little uncomfortable with her witnessing some things, even though Cali did not understand it.

Cali was out quickly, curled up in one of the sofa’s throw pillows, and the trio retreated to the bedroom. Once the door was shut, they went wild. For a time, Bonnie and Kim had worried about how much noise they made, but Cali never seemed to hear anything once she was sleeping. And they made a lot of noise.

As they settled down to go to sleep, they were startled by the sound of scratching at the door. They all looked at each other, seeing who was going to get up. Apparently, no one could will another out of bed. 

“I’m not letting her in while I’m butt naked,” Kim argued.

“I’m settled. I’m not moving,” Bonnie stated, curling deeper into Kim’s body. 

“Cali doesn’t give a damn it you’re naked. She’s naked all the damn time,” Shego pointed out, knowing for certain she was not getting out of that bed.

“I care that I’m naked!” Kim stated. 

“I care, too, because in a second we’re not going to be talking about the cry-baby at the door if you keep rubbing your butt on me like that,” Shego remarked.

Kim sighed and pouted, crawling out from her very comfortable space in the middle of her girlfriends to go let the cat in. She glared at Shego to make sure she kept whatever “cat” comments she had to herself. Shego smiled innocently, but was kind enough to not say anything. 

“You’re so mean,” Bonnie hissed at Shego.

“It’s mean to thoroughly ravish her if she’s rubbing her naked ass against me? I don’t think so. If anything, she’s mean for teasing me,” the pale woman replied. 

“That was pretty mean,” the attorney agreed as Kim quickly slid back into bed, as if she was afraid that the darkness might see that she was naked.

“It was — OW!” Shego grunted as Cali landed right on her hip. Thankfully, she was under the cover or she would have felt claws digging into her flesh along with the chunky weight on her. “Hey, fur-ball, park your fat ass on someone else’s butt,” she ordered. Cali looked at her and she could have sworn that she saw a little kitty smile on the calico’s face. Cali then land her head down and closed her eyes. 

“I think she wants the one out of us with the most cushion back there,” Bonnie remarked.

“Quiet you!” Shego reached over Kim and grabbed Bonnie by a sensitive piece of anatomy. Bonnie gasped at the contact.

“Hey, hey, hey! None of that while the cat is the room,” Kim said, breaking up the “fight.”

“What? That was revenge,” Shego innocently proclaimed, even though the little twist she had given Bonnie had been rather pleasurable for the lawyer. “We don’t do revenge around the cat?”

“You keep this up and that’s going to be the only cat you see for a while,” Bonnie threatened the eldest. “Now, behave,” she ordered, weakly shaking her fist at Shego. 

“Now, can we go to sleep?” Kim suggested.

Apparently, they were all in agreement for once. Settling in again, they all dozed off. Their rest was interrupted by the alarm blaring and the sound of something heavy slamming into the building. The force was so great it ended up shaking their home. 

“What the hell is that?” Bonnie grumbled, trying to hide from the noise by burrowing closer to Kim’s body. Kim reached for a pillow to put over her head.

“Oh, somebody is going to die!” Shego snarled, upset with being taken from her slumber at whatever ungodly hour it was. She shifted and Cali rolled off of her hip, falling in between her body and Kim’s legs. The cat ended up on her back and stayed asleep. Shego made a mental note to insult the feline just for continuing to rest. 

“It might be construction thanks to Professor Dementor’s rampage yesterday,” Kim offered from underneath the pillow.

“Then why the hell are we shaking and why is the alarm sounding off?” Bonnie wondered aloud. And then a particularly hard hit rocked the building even more than the last. “That was like an earthquake,” she commented, noticing a flashing light let them know that security system detected a threat. “But, since the alarm is still going, I’m going to assume, it’s not.”

“Looks like we got a problem,” Shego muttered and finally picked her head up to see what time it was. “A problem at five in the damn morning! Oh, somebody really wants to die!” she declared, flinging the covers from her body. 

“Get ‘em, sweetheart!” Bonnie cheered, trying her best to go back to sleep.

Shego rubbed her eyes and grabbed the remote to see who triggered their alarm. Turning on the television, she had to rub her eyes again to make sure that she was seeing right. According to the cameras, their home, sweet home was being rammed by what looked like a moose mixed with a gorilla. 

“Guys, I get the feeling that Cali’s mommy is coming back for her,” Shego commented.

“Cali sure is popular this weekend,” Kim murmured. 

“Can we just give her Cali? I mean, the fat tabby is actually still sleeping through all of this crap,” Shego complained, motioning to the knocked out cat.

“Fine, I’ll go find out what the hell DNAmy wants at five in the morning,” Kim grumbled, sliding out of bed, much to Bonnie’s dismay. 

“Me and Cali’ll hold down the bed. Make sure no one hijacks it,” the tanned beauty remarked, pulling Kim’s pillow to chest to compensate for her lovers leaving.

Kim did not say anything as she put on her clothes. Shego glared at Bonnie, but decided against starting a fight with her resting girlfriend. Instead, she threw on some clothes and decided to go downstairs with Kim to see if they could reason with the latest lunatic at their door. 

“Can’t believe she’s doing this shit at five in the morning,” Shego grumbled, scratching the top of her head and messing up her hair even more so than before.

“How did she know we have Cali, anyway? Maybe she’s just here causing regular trouble,” Kim said, not that DNAmy usually made house calls.

“I don’t care! It’s five in the morning! We went to bed four hours ago!” Shego complained with a scowl. They were supposed to be having a lazy Sunday, which was not supposed to start for another five hours! 

The redhead could not dispute that. They hit the street in time to see the gorilla — or moose — hit the building again. Added to that, what appeared to be an elephant mixed with a rhino rammed another end of the building. They were not really getting anywhere, but it was still annoying.

“Come on out, Amy. We know it’s you!” Kim called since the villainess was nowhere in sight.

“Then you know what I want!” the large scientist declared as she descended from the air, riding what Kim and Shego could only assume was the world’s largest buzzard. They assumed DNAmy spliced the bird with a whale or something close to that size. Really, they did not think too much on it because they did not care since it was five in the morning and they just wanted to get things out of the way, so they could go back to bed.

“No, not really,” Shego answered. “But, I know what the hell I want and that’s to go back to bed!” The sun was not even up yet, so she saw no reason why she should be awake.

“Give me back that cat you were holding yesterday,” DNAmy commanded, pointing to Shego.

“Why do you want our cat?” Shego inquired, not that she really cared. She just knew Kim would ask it instead of just letting her beat everything up, so they could go back to bed.

“She’s not your cat. She belongs to me. That loud meanie Professor Dementor stole her from me and from what I can tell by the stories I hear, he ruined the poor dear with his junk science,” DNAmy answered. 

“Yeah, well, she’s out of his hands, in ours, and happy as a fat cat in a pile of tuna. Nice talking to you. Bye-bye,” Shego said and she turned to go back into the house. Unfortunately, Kim’s hand on her shoulder stopped her from going any further than one step.

“Her being with you is no better! I’ve heard about the two of you!” DNAmy hollered, pointing at them and glaring at them. 

“You don’t think…” Kim trailed off and Shego shook her head, but the usually cheery scientist had her attention for the moment.

“What do you mean that you heard about us?” Shego inquired with an arched eyebrow as she turned around to face DNAmy again.

“You and your icky relationship! I don’t live under a rock you know and I won’t have one my babies subjected to your filth!” DNAmy declared.

Kim’s mouth dropped open. She could not believe what she was hearing. “Are you kidding me? You’re in love with a guy that has monkey hands and feet and you think we’re icky?” she shouted, motioning to herself and Shego.

“Kimmie, you’re trying to reason with a woman who can splice genes and create her own animals, yet she’s not filthy rich. Obviously, she’s not all there, so don’t try to argue,” Shego informed her lover. She did not care about DNAmy’s opinion of them. She just wanted to go back to sleep. 

“I guess it could be worse. She could know about Bonnie,” Kim muttered, shaking her head. She hated being judged, but especially by someone who definitely had no right to say anything about anyone’s affections.

“So, give me back my baby!” DNAmy ordered, holding her hand out. 

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Shego said in a long drawl.

“You didn’t even want her. She told us that you threw her out,” the hero pointed out.

DNAmy rolled her eyes. “As if I’m supposed to believe she told you anything. The only reason she can talk is because Dementor messed with her genes when he didn’t even know what he was doing! I might have thrown her out, but I’d rather take her back and fix her than to leave her with the likes of you two!” 

“Come get ‘er then,” Shego dared the scientist. She crouched down a little, as if she was going to get into a fighting stance.

“I think I’ll just keep knocking on your building until you give her back,” DNAmy proclaimed. 

Shego turned around and blasted the nearest animal ramming into their building. The plasma blast knocked the mixed creature on its back and it was unconscious by the time it hit the ground. Shego felt a bit bad for it, as she was never one for animal cruelty. But right now, she wanted to go back to sleep and refused to let any old mad scientist take their cat, especially not some mad scientist who was practically into bestiality, but had the nerve to judge them based on their sexuality. Seriously, what?

“Oh, don’t think I’m giving up that easy! Griffins and bumble-bears attack!” DNAmy commanded with dramatic flare.

“Bumble-bears?” Kim echoed, knowing she would not even believe it when she saw it.

Sure enough, soon the sky was covered in what appeared to be lions with eagle wings and black bears with bee wings… and stingers. Kim was never in favor of hurting animals, especially ones that were just doing what their master told them. So, acting as swiftly as she could, she ran into their home and grabbed rope. Thankfully, Yori kept a stash of ropes and grappling hooks for her ninjutsu lessons.

Rushing back out, Kim saw Shego had already started in on fighting the animals, doing her best to stun them rather than seriously injure them. The only problem was that Shego put herself in a lot of danger because she had to touch the animals on the back of their necks in order to stun them. She was getting too close for Kim’s comfort.

Kim quickly went to wrangle any animals that she could, but they seemed to just keep coming. Roaring from bears and lions echoed through the twilight and soon the faint smell of blood joined the hint of morning dew. All in all, Cali found it harder and harder to stay asleep, even though it felt really nice to have Bonnie petting her while they both lounged in the bed.

Cali poked her head up and decided to go to the window to see what was going on. Bonnie sat up and turned her attention to the television for the same reason. Their reactions were the same too, gasping at the sight.

“Oh, my freaking god! Cali, go help Kimmie and Shego!” Bonnie ordered as she got up to give her own assistance, needing to man some of their defenses. It was a good thing the building also had automatic defenses because there was no way she could run the whole thing on her own.

Cali nodded and was off like a shot. By the time she charged out of the door, she was in human form and she tackled a griffin, getting the creature before he managed to claw Shego in the back. Cali growled and clobbered the griffin; thanks to her ambiguous status — both biologically and morally — Cali had no problem hurting animals, humans, and just about anything else that tried to harm her family.

“What is that?” DNAmy inquired, pointing to the cat-girl. The creature looked familiar and she hoped it was not what she thought it was. She had only heard rumors of what Dementor had done to her precious creation and she hoped that she was not looking at the actual result of his tampering. 

“Cali, be careful!” Kim called to the feline, who moved through griffins like she fought them everyday.

“I’m okay, Kimmie!” Cali answered with a grin, happy that the redhead was concerned about her. One of the joys of having these humans as a family was that they were always concerned for her… even though Shego had an odd way of showing it. 

Soon, Kim, Shego, and Cali were assisted by stun-rays fired from guns on their building; Bonnie had come to their defense. The griffins and bumble-bears were soon knocked out, wrangled, or just plan incapacitated. DNAmy let out a long whine.

“This isn’t fair! Just give me back my kippy!” the geneticist hollered, shaking her fists like a child. “She’s mine!” 

“Okay, you know what, we can do this a very simple way,” Kim proposed and she marched over to Cali. “Cali, do you want to go back with Amy or do you want to stay with us?” she asked the feline.

Cali’s ears dropped. “Do you want me to leave, Kimmie? Cuz, I wanna stay with you guys!” she declared, eyes watering because she thought they were going to ask her to leave and go back to the first alpha. 

“No, Cali, we don’t want you to leave. We’re giving the choice. We’d love for you to stay, but if you want to go off with Amy, then you can,” Kim explained.

“I don’t wanna go with her!” Cali whined and clutched onto Kim, so that the hero would not make her leave. “I wanna stay!” 

“You can stay, you can stay,” Kim promised, caressing the top of Cali’s head to put her at ease.

“Okay, Amy, take off!” Shego barked. “The cat wants to stay with us.” She pointed to herself and Kim.

“That’s the cat?” DNAmy asked. “What did you do to her?” she demanded, having to get off of her ride to get a better look at the feline. “What did you do to my kippy?” she wailed.

“We didn’t do anything. You made it sound like you knew what Professor Dementor had done to her the second you showed up, but I guess that was just to make it seem like you cared. When you kicked her out, Dementor found her and did this to her. If you didn’t want something to happen to her, you shouldn’t have abandoned her just because she did what her instincts told her to do,” Kim huffed, frowning at the spoiled brat of a scientist.

“She was bad, killing my precious experiments. I won’t put up with that,” DNAmy answered.

“She’s a predator. What do you think she’s going to do? We feed her some expensive fish and she eats with us and she still vanishes during the day. Can you guess what she does when she vanishes?” Shego inquired. DNAmy shook her head.

“I hunt,” Cali admitted. It was in her blood. She could not shake it. She was not sure what type of genes she had, but she longed to hunt and she hunted everything — including cats sometimes. She did not kill anything because she did not have to worry about eating. Her humans always fed her and they fed her delicious things. The stalking and the chase gave her such a thrill, though, and she found she could not resist the urge.

“What exactly did you splice Cali with?” Shego asked curiously. She knew that whatever work DNAmy put in on Cali was mutated and twisted by Dementor, but she was curious as to what Cali was working with at first. Was she just a regular calico kitten and some type of domestic dog? Even so, what type of domestic dog? Was she actually some sort of wildcat? Was there some type of wild dog in there? That kind of information might help them and Cali better understand just what they were working with.

“It doesn’t matter what I did! What did Dementor do? Why does she look like this?” DNAmy demanded, stomping her foot.

“Why do you think? Dementor is a scientist. He experimented on her, doy!” Shego pointed out.

“But… but… what did he do?” DNAmy whimpered.

“We don’t know. She was like this when we got to her,” Kim replied, petting Cali to make sure she did not feel bad about them talking about her with her standing right there.

“He ruined her!” DNAmy wailed.

“You said that before and you still sound like an idiot saying it. She’s not ruined. She’s fat and annoying, but not ruined,” Shego argued. As much as she teased Cali, she thought the cat was one of the better people that she had met in her life. Cali was loyal and fierce, ready to stand with and defend those she loved. What more could a person ask for in a friend? 

“If I can take her back to my lab, I can fix her,” DNAmy suddenly suggested, taking a step toward Cali. The cat whimpered and pressed herself closer to Kim.

“She doesn’t want to go with you. She’s a free-thinking person able to make her own decisions now and she doesn’t want to be with you,” Kim warned DNAmy. The redhead tensed a little, her body ready to spring into action if necessary to keep the geneticist away from Cali.

“Nonsense. You two have probably just corrupted her thinking even more than Dementor corrupted her body. If I can get her back, I can make everything all right,” DNAmy insisted, reaching out for her poor creation. Cali whimpered more and would have merged with Kim’s whole body if possible.

“She doesn’t want to go,” Shego stated in a rough tone, igniting her hands. The display gave the cat a little more courage. Cali joined in and hissed, letting Amy know she would not go gently.

DNAmy seemed to consider the odds, but did not have time to response. Police cars pulled up and went to work. Animal control also came in. Cali quickly went back to her cat form and her humans eased their way back into their home as everything was taken care of. 

“Are you all okay?” Bonnie asked, rushing to them and hugging them all. It was not too hard since Cali was in her cat form and curled up into Kim’s chest.

“We’re fine. A little sweaty, but fine,” Kim answered. 

“Is everything okay?” Bonnie asked, glancing down at Cali, smiling to see the cat was still with them.

“Yeah, the previous owner of mouse-breath here tried to take her back, but we worked that out,” Shego remarked. 

“By worked it out, do you mean my calling the police got her out of our hair?” Bonnie quipped.

“For now anyway,” Kim said. 

No one addressed that ominous comment. But, they knew DNAmy would not be gone for long. She was probably just going to be held on minor charges anyway since she had not done _much_ that was illegal. They did not dwell on that, though. They decided to just get their day going. Kim and Shego went to get cleaned up while Cali trotted over to the couch to get back to her sleep.

Cali thought about the first alpha and how she had just passed up a chance to go back to that. She remembered when she had first been thrown out, she would have done anything to be back in the first alpha’s warm arms. But, she was certain that she was in the best possible situation for herself.

Her humans were kind, gentle, and loving. They accepted her for all she was, not just for a part. They treated her in ways she could hardly fathom. There was no way she would ever leave their warmth, their love. She hoped they were always like that. She hoped that she was always with them. They were family.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Heather pushes Bonnie too far.


	2. Sociology 101 — How to Make Enemies and Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. Except for Cali, Charlie Darrow, and cousin Francesca, who are mine.

2: Sociology 101 — How to Make Enemies and Friends

“Duchess, you sure you don’t want to just stay home? You can create some excuse or something for not going,” Shego commented from her space on the couch. Kim was on top of her, soundly asleep. Cali was knocked out on Kim’s back. Usually, Bonnie was common filling in their living sandwich, but she had other affairs to tend to. 

“I can’t just stay home, Shego, you know that. I can’t make up some excuse either. I mean, of course I’d love to be knocked out on the couch like Kimmie, but I have to do this,” Bonnie huffed as she moved through the house like a madwoman. She was fixing her shirt while trying to find important papers she needed. Why the hell was nothing ever where she first put it down? _Cali keeps moving stuff!_ When she got the time, she would scold the cat about it.

“Like I said, you could make an excuse. I used to do it all the time!” Shego declared loudly, a little too loudly. Kim and Cali groaned in their sleep. She turned her attention to them for a moment, taking a few seconds to rub their backs and calm them down. They both made little mewing noises as they settled and she turned her attention back to her Duchess.

“Sweetie, you used to steal things for a living. It’s not like you were working a regular nine to five,” Bonnie pointed out.

“It’s not like you’re working a regular nine to five either if you have to rush off on a Saturday… again. Do you want me and Kimmie to just go straighten this chick out? We all know she keeps meeting with you on Saturday because she’s trying to get you to go on a date with her, but this is the closest you’ll go,” Shego countered.

“No, I don’t want you or my baby going anywhere near Heather. I don’t want either of you ending up in jail or doing anything wrong. She’s not harming me in any way. She’s just annoying and she doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer for the most part. Besides, I need her as a client to keep my job,” Bonnie reminded her lover. Well, that was not entirely true, but Heather was her biggest client and it probably would not look good for her to lose her, even though she tried sometimes really hard to do so.

Emerald eyes rolled. “You don’t need to work, you know,” she felt it necessary to point out.

“And neither do you, yet you do. I like my job, sweetheart. I enjoy doing it. Let me do it, okay?” Bonnie requested, still moving about the house to gather what she needed for her meeting, even though doubted she truly needed anything. Meeting with Heather was never what she expected, after all.

Shego shrugged. “I guess it’s good to have a lawyer in the family,” she conceded. She just wished Bonnie did not stress so much over her job.

Knowing that was the end of the discussion, Bonnie focused on finding everything she would need for her meeting. She collected her papers, sorted them as much as she could, shoved them into her briefcase, and then went on the hunt for her shoes. While searching, she silently cursed Cali, who liked moving shoes more than anything else in the house, even when they told her not to.

“Shego, do you know where that chubby tabby moved my sling-back shoes?” Bonnie inquired, standing by the entrance to the living room.

“Why are you wearing your sling-backs? Those are way too sexy. They’ll send the wrong idea.”

Bonnie snorted. “They’re comfortable and I own much sexier shoes, not that it matters. Do you know where Cali hid them?”

“She’s gotten into the habit of collecting stuff and hiding them in her ‘secret place,’” Shego answered.

“Under the bathroom sink?” It was where they used to find any and everything that went missing. Cali collected anything that could fit in her mouth for some odd reason that even the cat herself could not explain.

“No, she’s got a new secret place after she figured out we all know where that one is. Her new secret place funny enough is in the closet, underneath the shoe rack,” Shego informed her lover.

Bonnie chuckled and shook her head. She retrieved her shoes and left the apartment, wishing she could just stay and relax with her lovers. But, duty called, and she needed to see what new thing Heather was making up.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie sighed as she waited for the big movie star — Heather. It was not uncommon for Heather to invite her out for “business” only to keep her waiting forever and a day. She was not sure if Heather was trying to tease her, punish her, or if it was some weird way of playing hard to get. Either way, Bonnie was not impressed by it and was getting closer and closer to the end of her rope with the superstar.

“Oh, Bonnie, I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Heather declared as she marched into the restaurant, spotting Bonnie at the bar.

“It’s fine,” Bonnie lied. She was sick of it, really, but she could not say that to Heather. Because the movie star wanted her as a lawyer was probably the main thing keeping her employed. She hated being on such a short leash, even now, but it had to be expected. The only reason she had a job, after all, was because she was sleeping with one of the firm’s most important clients. Not to mention, her lover’s parents probably threatened the firm in several ways, some of them probably not even legal.

“Come on, let’s get a booth and something to eat. I wanted to talk to you about my latest contract,” Heather stated as she took Bonnie by the arm. She entwined their limbs in a manner that made Bonnie frown.

“I figured as much,” Bonnie replied, pulling her arm away. The unnecessary touching had gotten really old really fast, but Heather still insisted on doing it. _It’s almost like a game_ , Bonnie thought. It was like Heather wanted to see how far she could go, despite knowing Bonnie was uninterested and also in a relationship.

Heather glanced down at her, but did not say anything about the attorney tugging away from her. They sat down and Bonnie pulled out the papers from her briefcase. She was ready to talk shop, but Heather had other ideas.

“I’m totally starving. We should eat and then talk,” Heather stated with a bright smile on her face. 

Bonnie sighed, but she did not argue. She really just wanted this “meeting” to be over already. She could tell they were not going to do discuss the contract as Heather claimed and she had just wasted her time. Maybe she could get back home at a decent time and take her place on the couch with her lovers and relaxing for just a little while. She was going to have to see if Heather was in a merciful mood.

“The shrimp salad here is supposedly to die for,” Heather said, obviously trying to drum up conversation from her surly captive and, yes, Bonnie reviewed herself as a prisoner.

The lawyer was quiet and let Heather order. Heather ordered for herself and for Bonnie, which was somewhat amusing. The only person to ever order for Bonnie with her say-so was Kim. Shego did not even dare to do it or she would find herself embarrassed in front of the waiter. Heather got a pass for now.

Bonnie made sure to move her documents out of the way as drinks were brought to the table and the food followed shortly. Heather tried to draw Bonnie into a conversation, but Bonnie was not interested. Her mind was on getting the contract out of the way and then returning home to relax with her girlfriends. It seemed like it had been ages since she was able to relax with them. 

“Bonnie, you know, I’m starting to think this was not the best place for us to meet,” Heather commented lightly.

An umber eyebrow arched. “Oh? What makes you say that?” she asked. She dared to hope Heather would say something professional, but the feeling in her gut told her that she was not going to like where things were headed. 

“Because you seem so distracted. Maybe if it were a less busy place, it would be better. How about you come to my house tonight? I’ll make dinner for you and we can get to work right after,” Heather proposed, having the nerve to look oh-so innocent.

It took a lot of willpower for Bonnie to remain calm. By some miracle, she even kept her jaw from tensing and managed to get out some rather collected words in response. “No, Heather, you don’t need to do that.”

“But, I want to do it,” Heather insisted. 

“Heather, do I need to remind you that I’m in a relationship?” Bonnie inquired. She was in a relationship with two insane and possessive (even if Kim would deny it) women. Hell, Heather had a run in with Shego and it was not very pleasant for the movie star. She would hate to think what her girlfriends would do if they knew Heather wanted to cook her dinner. Needless to say, she was certain Heather would only be able to get work in horror movies afterwards. 

Heather waved the question off. “I know, I know. This is just a business meeting, Bonnie. Nothing more than that,” she insisted, even though the twinkle in her eyes said otherwise.

“Heather, we can conduct a business meeting during working hours on business days, then,” Bonnie pointed out as politely as she could. She had to watch what she said and she was certain that Heather knew that. All of Heather’s actions led Bonnie to believe that Heather knew she had Bonnie by the balls, so to speak.

Heather leaned forward a little, mischief and control dancing in her eyes. “I’m much more comfortable in a relaxed environment and I know we won’t be disturbed. So, you can come by my condo.” 

Bonnie almost frowned, but she caught it. “You own a condo in Middleton?” It often amazed her about how popular the quaint town was.

“Up in the mountains. The skiing in Middleton is quite excellent,” Heather reminded her.

Bonnie could not argue that. She packed up her things and it was agreed that she would go to Heather’s home for a dinner meeting. Heather then paid the bill with her credit card, as if trying to show off. She even glanced up, like she was trying to see Bonnie’s reaction. Bonnie was unimpressed, of course.

“I’ll see you at your house then,” Bonnie said in as normal a voice as she could muster. She was more than ready to leave. Her patience had run its course the moment the credit card and sly look showed up. 

“We could go now,” Heather offered.

“And then I could help you cook? Maybe I could scrub your dishes, too, and vacuum,” Bonnie snapped mildly. She was so tempted to just curse Heather out to the best of her ability, which was pretty good thanks to life with Shego and constant calls from Isabel, but she thought the better of it. She liked her job, she reminded herself, and Heather helped her keep that job by remaining a client. 

Heather blinded hard, not expecting that response. “No, I wouldn’t ask you to do that. I have a chef, you know.”

Blue-green eyes rolled. “I’m sure you do. So, I’m guessing your chef will be cooking for us.” 

Heather bristled and appeared as if she turned into knots. “What? No, like I said, I’ll cook for you. But, you will come tonight, won’t you?” She put on her best begging eyes, as if she was actually conning Bonnie. Bonnie could do the begging eyes with the best of them and nothing short of the puppy-dog pout really moved her anymore.

“I have to talk about this contract with you,” Bonnie answered. She was expected to keep Heather happy. Her bosses had told her so. In fact, when she complained about how Heather acted toward her, one of the senior partners actually told her to take whatever the actress did and be grateful that someone was willing to put faith in her. Bonnie hated it because it made her feel almost like a whore instead of a lawyer, but damn it, she loved her job.

“Then I’ll see you then. Around seven o’clock?” the movie star proposed, having the nerve to smile at her. 

Bonnie nodded and was gone before Heather could comprehend what just happened. The lawyer rushed back home, glad to be away from Heather. She found her girlfriends and their pet in the same space as she left them.

“Duchess, you’re back already?” Shego called, sounding quite perplexed by that. Heather typically kept Bonnie out for hours.

“I am,” Bonnie answered with an exhausted sigh.

“That is not a happy sound. What did she do this time? You sure you don’t want me and Kimmie to go… talk to her,” Shego offered as Bonnie stood in the doorway of the living room. 

“No, I don’t want you to talk to her because that’s going to lead to threats and maybe some hitting. I don’t want you and Kimmie in jail again,” Bonnie replied, stepping next to the sofa and trying to figure out how she was going to fit in. “I can’t believe my baby is still asleep,” she commented, staring at Kim.

The hero was knocked out, mouth open and lower lip resting right on Shego’s breast. Of course, Shego would not complain. In fact, Shego had a hand on the back of Kim’s head, lightly scratching her scalp. 

“I think she doesn’t realize she’s not sixteen anymore and she doesn’t bounce back from multiple missions like she used to,” Shego said, absently stroking down Kim’s back briefly before her hand went back to Kim’s scalp. “You could probably fall on top of her and she won’t even make a sound,” she added since it was apparent that Bonnie was attempting to work her way to her usual resting spot on top of Kim.

“I’m not going to try it. I don’t want her to wake up.” Bonnie flopped down to their underused armchair. They probably would not even remember the living room had armchairs if it were not for times like this. 

“So, how did lunch go with the she-beast?” Shego asked.

“Horribly. I think it was all just a ploy to invite me to dinner at her house,” Bonnie replied. It certainly played out like a ploy and she would not put anything past Heather now. 

“Invite you to dinner at her house? Kimmie, wake up!” Shego shook the sleeping redhead. 

“No! Don’t wake her up!” Bonnie begged, moving to reach the couch, even though she was too aware she would not make it in time. She fell back into her chair when she noticed Kim moving.

“What? What’s going on?” Kim asked in a dazed tone, not bothering to open her eyes. She put her head up, though, and it sort of reminded Bonnie of a meerkat poking its head up from underground. 

“That crazy movie star invited the Duchess to dinner at her house!” Shego declared.

“Huh?” Kim sat up a bit more and rubbed her eyes. She blinked several times, but could only open her eyes halfway. “Invited Bonnie to dinner?” Olive eyes drifted to Bonnie and Kim shook her head. “Wait, wait, wait, Heather invited you to dinner at her house?” she asked to be sure. It was slightly possible that she dreamed that, she considered. In fact, she hoped she was having a weird dream.

“Yes, she did,” Bonnie confirmed. 

“You want us to go with you?” the redhead suggested… or hoped. They needed to get Heather to realize Bonnie was not on the market and there was nothing Heather could do that would change that.

“No, I don’t want you two going there and causing all types of trouble. This is my job we’re talking about,” Bonnie replied. 

“You know, being your own boss is pretty sweet. Maybe you should try that,” Shego proposed. It would save Bonnie a lot of trouble, heartache, headaches, and all around suffering.

“And just squander the great job your parents got me?” Bonnie inquired incredulously. She was surprised her mouth was not on the floor thanks to her shock. Besides, she needed to make more of a name for herself before she just tried to open her own practice.

“It would get on Mommy’s nerves,” Shego mused with a devilish smirk on her face. 

“Yes, but your father would be heartbroken as it would seem like Bonnie didn’t want his gift,” Kim pointed out.

“Damn,” Shego hissed, frowning and making a fist for a moment.

“Look, I will handle this. You two don’t have to worry,” Bonnie declared, shaking her head slightly.

“I’m sure we don’t. One movie start versus the two of us? She doesn’t even have a chance in being a wet dream for you!” Shego proclaimed with her usual confidence and a rather lewd, but arousing grin. 

“As crudely as that was put, you’re right,” Bonnie agreed.

“I guess having two girlfriends is a good way to insure no wandering eye,” Kim remarked, chuckling a bit. 

“Yeah, unfortunately, I also have to deal with twice the jealous insanity,” Bonnie teased the pair.

“We’re not jealous!” Kim argued. 

“Nor are we insane. We’re very secure in who we are. We’re not very secure in everyone else around you, though,” Shego explained, making a little circular motion with her index finger.

“Twice the jealous insanity,” Bonnie chirped with a huge smile. 

Kim and Shego decided not to argue and let the subject drop since they were not in the mood to hear about Bonnie going to have dinner with Heather. It was a bit bothersome knowing that in a couple of hours Bonnie would be going off to have dinner with another woman. A woman who she was practically being forced to see because of the job that she loved. 

“You sure you want to be a lawyer, Bonnie?” Shego inquired, giving the attorney a sidelong glance. “Didn’t you want to be a dancer or some such bullshit when you were in school?”

“Thank you for bringing up my confused past, sweetheart. Wonderful way to help me forget how fucked up my life can be,” Bonnie remarked with a scowl. 

Kim put up her hands, indicating that both of them needed to cease. “Okay, before this leads into an argument, let’s not even go there,” she begged. She did not have the patience or the energy for it today. 

Shego sighed and cast her gaze over at Bonnie. “Sorry, Duchess,” she actually apologized without sound flippant or anything. She was quite sincere. She knew what type of emotional scars some things could leave and was very aware — thanks to being in a healthy relationship — it was wrong to use those things to try to win an argument.

“I’m sorry, too. I don’t want my job to come between us. You two mean the world to me, you know that, right?” Bonnie got up and went to the pair. She embraced both of them and held them tight for a moment, wanting them to feel how much she loved them. 

“We know, baby,” Kim replied as she sat up for a proper hug. Shego did the same while Kim made sure their still sleeping cat did not plummet to the living room floor. They then engaged in a family hug… not that Cali was aware she was involved in a family hug.

“I don’t want to argue over my job either,” Bonnie said.

Shego sighed, starting to feel like a heel. “Again, Duchess, I’m sorry. I know your job means a lot to you and you’re actually really good at being a lawyer. I just don’t like this bitch trying to take advantage of you. I don’t think you should have to put up with it either.”

“I’ll think of something to get her off my back,” Bonnie vowed. She was not going to have Heather causing arguments between her and her lovers. She would not stand for it. No job was worth that. 

“So, there’s nothing we can do?” Shego asked, pointing to Kim and then back to herself.

Kim smiled. “Bonnie, baby, I think what Shego’s trying to say, but isn’t doing a very good job of, is there any way that we can protect you from Heather? Is there anything we can do to try to help your situation out?” 

Bonnie smiled, too. “No, there’s nothing you can do. I have to handle this myself. I want to handle this myself. I’m not with you two for you to protect me from everything, after all.”

“Hey, you’ve protected us just as much, so don’t try to downplay yourself, baby,” the hero pointed out, reaching out to caress Bonnie’s cheek.

Bonnie nodded and figured she needed to think of something between now and dinnertime. There had to be someway to get Heather to back down. She was not sure what she was going to do, though. 

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie sighed and rested her head against her steering wheel after parking her car in front of Heather’s skiing villa. Absently, she wondered if Shego’s mother had a villa in the rather prestigious area. After all, Isabel had a house in Middleton just for the skiing, but that would probably make a villa redundant. Although, she suspected Isabel lied about having the Middleton house for skiing and probably purchased it to be close to Shego. Knowing Shego, the ex-thief would pitch a fit if her mother ever admitted to buying a home to be close to her, even though she was certain Shego liked having her mother close by. Hell, she was certain Shego liked her mother point blank, despite all of the whining and bickering. 

“I’m not ready to deal with this woman,” Bonnie said, but found herself opening her door anyway and walking to the front of the modern-looking home. Ringing the doorbell, she waited for a response.

“Coming!” Heather called.

“I wish I were going,” Bonnie muttered to herself. The door opened before she made an escape or could even think of an excuse.

“Welcome to my winter home, Bonnie,” Heather said, motioning for her to enter. 

“Thanks for having me,” Bonnie said, as graciously as she could muster. It sounded like someone was forcing her to say the words at knifepoint. It was just there were other places she would rather be — like at her own dinner table with her girlfriends, smiling and laughing with them. Right now, crawling through broken glass even had a charm to it that Heather could not match. 

“Oh, trust me, it was no trouble at all. Can I get you a drink?” Heather offered with a delighted smile. The smile of Satan, Bonnie assumed. She had seen it several times on many different people before.

“No, thank you. I do have to drive back home,” the lawyer pointed out. 

“Not really,” Heather purred as she slid up behind Bonnie. She pressed herself to the younger woman’s back. “I have a spare bedroom,” she said, even though it was clear that was not what she wanted to say.

“Thank you, but I don’t need it,” Bonnie said crisply as she pulled away from the star. Suppressing a shudder, she turned to face Heather. “I would much rather get to this contract with you.” She would much rather do her job in her office, but that was not up for discussion unfortunately. 

“You’re so forward and business-minded, Bonnie. Relax a little for tonight. I want you to be able to relax when you’re with me. So, how about we start with a glass of wine?” Heather proposed.

“I just told you I have to drive back home,” Bonnie stated. 

“And one glass of wine now will impede your ability to drive later?” Heather asked in a rather mocking fashion, going so far as to make an exaggerated surprise face.

“I’m not going to take that risk.” With her luck, the wine would be drugged and she would pass out right in the house. Of course, that could be said of just about anything she ingested or touched while in Heather’s home. _Great, now I’m just as paranoid as my girlfriends_.

“You don’t have to. As I said, I have a spare bedroom. If you get lonely at night, well, then, I have a master bedroom,” Heather remarked with undisguised lust in her eyes. It was in that moment that the camel felt the final straw. 

Bonnie frowned and glared at the taller woman. “Listen to me, Heather, I don’t know who the hell you think you are or you think I am, but I’d never sleep with you. You know I’m already in a committed relationship and I have no interest in you. So, how about we stop playing stupid games and get down to business?” she demanded through gritted teeth and fire in her eyes. 

Heather had the nerve to look insulted by the words. “Bonnie dear, I think you don’t know who the hell you are. You have a lot of nerve speaking to me that way.”

Bonnie held up a hand. “At this point, I really don’t care.”

“Oh? So, you don’t care if I suddenly dropped you? You know without me, that law firm will dismiss you faster than you thought was possible.”

“So what?” Bonnie screamed, finally at her full and complete limit. “I don’t give a damn! That fucking firm isn’t worth my relationship and neither are you! You’re not that great, Heather. You think flashing some cash and showing me your winter home is enough to get me in bed? Ha! I’m not a whore and if I want something, I have people to take care of that, so I don’t need your shit!” she proclaimed as loudly as she possibly could. Thankfully, there was not an avalanche after she was done. 

Heather glared at the attorney. “You think you can just talk to me any old way you want, Bonnie? I could buy and sell your sorry ass! You’re not even a good lawyer! I just wanted to get you in bed!”

“Fuck you, Heather, and the horse you rode in on! I know I’m good at my job and you’re just a fucking spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to handle not having things her way all the time!” Bonnie could almost appreciate the irony of her calling someone else a spoiled brat. 

Bonnie stormed out before things got any worse and drove back home, ignoring her cell phone the whole time, knowing it was Heather calling. She practically slammed the door when she got back in and kicked off her shoes without much care as to what she hit. Cali yelped as she almost took a high-heel to the forehead. The yowl from the cat and the angry muttering from Bonnie attracted the two resident martial artists.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why do you look so upset?” Kim asked with concern as she rushed over to Bonnie. Shego was right behind her. 

“What did that bitch do this time?” Shego demanded, ready for blood already.

“She didn’t do anything. It was all me,” Bonnie answered, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to fight off a major headache. 

“Don’t play this martyr B.S, Duchess. What the hell happened?” Shego inquired. Her question was made more potent by the fact that Kim had a look in her eyes demanding the same thing.

Bonnie sighed and ducked her head. “Can we sit down? I’ll tell you what happened,” she conceded, not in the mood to fight anymore.

Nodding, the pair led Bonnie into the living room. Kim then rushed off and returned with Bonnie’s favorite snack, hoping the Fig Newtons would lift Bonnie’s spirits. Shego silently took Bonnie’s feet into her lap and started giving her a message. Bonnie offered them both small smiles of thanks before going into what happened not long ago at Heather’s humble abode.

“So, I’m probably going to be without a job come Monday,” Bonnie ended her tale with a long sigh and a depressed expression. 

“We’ll think of something, Duchess. There are plenty of other law firms,” Shego pointed out, not doing a very good job of reassuring Bonnie.

“Baby, maybe we should talk to Mister Darrow again. He was very understanding the last time you went to see him,” Kim reminded Bonnie. 

Bonnie made a noise that did not seem like an agreement or a disagreement. She thought on the last time she went to see the senior partner. He had been very understanding of her side of the matter and fired her coworker, who had been at the firm much longer than she had. But, this was after he attempted to rape her. Well, she took it as an attempted rape while her coworker tried to downplay it. Charles Darrow, the partner, had taken her side, going so far as to promise legal action against her coworker. Unfortunately, they had not been able to locate him to prosecute him. Her lovers had been oddly calm about that news, so much so that she suspected they were the reason he vanished.

“Maybe I’ll go see him,” Bonnie figured.

“I can call him. I have his cell and his home phone number,” Shego offered. Hey, he was her lawyer and she often got in trouble, needing to get in contact with him as soon as possible. 

“That’s all right. I’ll go to him on Monday. I want to gauge how much trouble I’m in before I do anything,” Bonnie explained.

“You shouldn’t have to put up with crap like that just for a client. Your morals and conscience should not cost you your job,” Kim argued. 

Bonnie laughed and turned a bit to rub Kim’s head, pulling the hero closer to her. “Welcome to the real world, Kimmie. Sometimes, the job wants your immortal soul.” She then leaned over and kissed Kim’s cheek.

“That’s not fair,” the redhead stated with a little pout. 

“No, it’s not. I’m going to fight and everything, but I’m not too sure how this will turn out in the end,” Bonnie said with a pout of her own. She was not looking forward to being unemployed again, but she knew from the past that it was best to brace herself for that.

“However it turns out, you know we’re here for you, baby. We’re always here,” Kim declared and Shego nodded her agreement.

Bonnie smiled. “I know. Same here.” 

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie went into work on the following Monday and was surprised she was called to Charlie Darrow’s office almost immediately. She figured one of the other senior partners would see her and discuss why she was not working out. Darrow had not even really been involved in talking to her about having Heather as a client when it was decided she needed to do everything in her power to keep the movie star happy and with the firm. So, she could only wonder why he was the one that was going to fire her. 

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Bonnie said as she stepped into the older attorney’s office.

“Prompt as always, Bonnie. Please, come in and sit down,” her boss replied, motioning to one of the plush chairs in front of his large desk.

“I know how annoying it can be to be kept waiting,” Bonnie replied, sliding into the chair directly in front of him. “I am a little surprised that you wanted to see me,” she added.

“Trust me, that makes two of us. I haven’t been listening out for how things are going around here as well as I should. I’ve only just learned about how the partners view your handling of the rather mundane movie star, Heather,” he commented dryly, going so far as to roll his eyes.

A slight laugh escaped her. “You don’t care for her movies?”

“Not particularly. My daughters love her, though. I figure I must just be too old to get it. But, I’ve been getting a lot of conflicting and confusing information on what happened and why,” he informed her.

Bonnie’s face scrunched up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, first some of the other partners called me and started talking about how you lost Heather. Then, Heather herself got in touch with me, basically contradicting what I had already been told. The partners then called back with some other things and then Heather suddenly called back angry over something that you had done and it was all just a big headache,” he remarked, shaking his head.

“I can imagine,” Bonnie scoffed. At this point in her life, hearing the name Heather was starting to bring on headaches.

“So, Bonnie, I’ve learned that you will suffer in silence for the sake of this job, but I also know you to be earnest when asked. So, what is going on?” Charlie inquired, folding his hands in front of him to appear patient and understanding.

“It’s quite simple, sir. I decided to stop acting like the firm whore and told Heather just what I think of her. She didn’t take it too kindly and promised to have me fired. She claims the only reason she hired me was because she wanted to sleep with me,” Bonnie explained as briefly as possible.

Charlie grunted a bit and had to lean back for a little longer before going back to his original position. “Hmm… That’s a bit distressing.” His brow wrinkled a little. “What do you mean by the firm whore?”

“Some of the other partners were telling me to give Heather anything she wanted to make sure we kept her business. I, like a fool, did this as best I could without actually sleeping with the woman. Over the weekend, she invited me to her home for dinner and that was sort of the breaking point for me. Her constant badgering is wrecking my relationship, as is suffering in silence for this job.”

Charlie nodded. “Well, I’m glad you did break. I’m going to guess you said some things that the movie star didn’t appreciate,” he commented with a slight laugh.

“That’s putting it mildly. She was rather unhappy I wouldn’t sleep with her. Did she request another lawyer or something like that?”

“The second and fourth time she called, yes, but the first, third, fifth, and sixth times were different. She seemed to be apologizing in one and begging to keep you on in another. As I said, it was confusing.”

“So, I’m not fired?” Wow, there was good news to be had apparently.

Charlie shook his head. “Bonnie, I’m not in the habit of firing people for standing up for themselves or speaking their mind. I also feel like I should let you know that by now most of us know you’re competent and very good at what you do. Whoever treats you otherwise is just trying to take advantage of you because they know you really want to stay on at this firm. This situation with Heather is just weird, though.”

Boy was he pretending to the choir! “Can’t we just get her another lawyer?” she asked, somewhat begged. Anything to keep Heather away from her… far, far away.

“She seems to want you to stay on.”

And the headache just arrived. _What the hell is wrong with this woman?_ “But, I don’t want to deal with her trying to get me into bed. If she keeps pushing, I’m not going to be able to stop Shego from doing something stupid,” Bonnie reported.

“Ah, Shego. Well, actually, Shego might be able to come in handy for you,” Charlie commented, as it seemed like a thought just occurred to him.

A well-groomed eyebrow craned upward. “How so? I’m not going to use her to scare Heather. I don’t want her to get into any trouble.”

He chuckled. “That makes two of us. It’s never a dull moment when that family starts trouble. No, I mean she might be able to introduce Heather around to other women. I know Shego knows enough beautiful women, as I’ve had to deal with so many lawsuits. Maybe that would get her off your back.”

Bonnie looked skeptical and decided to ignore the fact that Shego seemed to have a hidden brothel or something similar. Thinking about Shego’s past girlfriends was never a pleasant notion, especially after meeting Medea. She especially did not want to consider why Shego’s lawyer would have met with any of these past girlfriends.

“Sir, Heather’s a big time movie star. I don’t think she has a hard time meeting beautiful women,” she pointed out.

“Maybe not meeting women, but meeting interesting women. I have to say Bonnie, you have to be one interesting woman to keep Shego’s attention. You should use that to your advantage.”

Bonnie was quiet for a moment. That actually sounded logical enough to her. _I must be desperate_. Maybe what Heather really needed was to meet some attractive, interesting, and _single_ women. But, she thought she would have talk to Heather first, especially since the woman seemed very confused. _Maybe I should’ve answered her calls this weekend_. Her head throbbed at the thought, though.

“Do you think Heather would be inclined to talk with me?” Bonnie asked.

“I suppose it would depend on which of her personalities answers the phone or the door. She’s been that perplexing to me these past two days,” he answered earnestly.

“How many times has she called you?”

He scratched his chin and thought on it for a moment. “I think a dozen.”

“And she sounded upset in half of them?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, she sounded upset in all of them. It was just anger in some, remorse in others, shame in some, and all sorts of emotions. I think you’ll be fine if you catch her at the right moment. And, please, don’t worry about her getting you fired. I’m not going to let them get rid of you from something like this.”

Bonnie nodded. “Thank you, sir.” 

Charlie nodded in return and Bonnie took her leave. She went to her office and wondered if she should wait for Heather to call her or if she should call Heather. She was not sure what sort of signals it would give Heather if she called, but she felt like Heather would be angry with her if she waited. When her phone rang, she noticed it was Heather and found herself answering.

“Bonnie Rockwaller,” she answered the phone.

“Bonnie, I’ve been trying to call you this whole weekend and you’ve been ignoring me! What if I really needed you? There could’ve been an emergency!” Heather hollered into the phone, hurting Bonnie’s ears. Once more, her head throbbed.

“Or it could’ve been you calling to scream at me, as you are doing now,” Bonnie pointed out with false patience.

Heather let out a loud sigh. “You’re right, but it still could’ve been an emergency,” she admitted in a tired, controlled tone.

“Yes, it could’ve been, but since you’ve blurred the lines between professional and private, it’s hard to tell when I should answer a call from you,” came the blunt reply. 

“I suppose I deserve that.”

“Probably more,” Bonnie grunted. 

“Look, I’m not calling to be abused by you and I’ll do my best to return the favor. I’m sorry about the other night. I don’t know what came over me,” Heather said. 

“The same thing that comes over you every single time we’re next to each other. You seem to think because I’m trying to do my job means I will literally behind over backwards for you. I’m telling you right now, I won’t. I’m in a committed relationship and that’s that.”

“Yes, I understand—” Heather was cut off.

“No, I don’t think you do. I’ve told you a number of times about my relationship and yet you still like to pretend our meetings are dates and now you’re trying to threaten me to get me to sleep with you. You’re a damn movie star. If you need to get laid that badly, I’m sure it’s not a problem,” Bonnie declared. 

Heather was quiet for a moment. “You’re right about that, but that just means there’s something more to you than me wanting to get laid,” she pointed out.

It was now Bonnie who was dumbstruck. “What do you mean?” she managed to ask.

“I’m not entirely sure. I suppose it’s just the way you keep me at a distance, but also pull me just a little close. I know both have to deal with you actually working while I’m mostly taking it as playing. But, there’s something about you. I think I like the way you don’t just bow to me because I’m Heather, Hollywood royalty. You don’t act like I’m some goddess.”

“I’m sure there are other women who wouldn’t bow to you because you’re Heather,” Bonnie stated. She knew two of them, but of course they were just as unavailable as she was. 

“Not many and I haven’t met one, aside from you anyway. Look, Bonnie, I think between being angry and hurt, I’ve been trying to apologize to you. I’m not as horrible or spoiled as I’ve been acting. It’s just as I said, you’re the one woman I’ve met that doesn’t just bow to me. It doesn’t hurt that you’re damned sexy,” the redhead remarked.

“So, you’ll keep me on as your attorney?” Or so Bonnie hoped.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. I’m not sure if my behavior’s going to improve. I’m really drawn to you and I doubt that feeling’s just going to disappear.”

Bonnie frowned. She was not looking to lose the one client that made her valuable to the firm. Besides, she was certain this was a problem that she could fix. 

“Heather, how about you not make that decision just yet? Give it a few days,” Bonnie requested, making sure to sound polite and pleasant to make the actress more agreeable.

“A few days?” Heather echoed. 

“Yes, a few days. I think I might have a solution to your problem. You just don’t move in the right circles. You stay surrounded by yes-men or other Hollywood types. You need to broaden your horizons,” Bonnie proclaimed. She could only hope that was possible, but she was going to use her boss’ suggestion.

“How so?” 

“As I said, just give it a few days. I’ll call you with details. Okay?”

Heather was silent for a few second, probably thinking it over. “I’ll give you those few days.” 

“Good. I promise to call you and, hopefully, I’ll have good news.”

Heather agreed and the call was disconnected. As soon as Bonnie was off of the phone with the movie star, she called Shego. Shego did not answer and Bonnie realized she was probably in the middle of teaching a class. Her question and request would have to wait until lunch. Until then, she got to work.

As soon as she could, Bonnie rushed out to get to lunch with her lovers, wanting to run her idea by Shego and possibly by Kim. After all, Kim had met plenty of interesting people during her life.

Bonnie was at the café, first as always. Kim and Shego marched in a few minutes later, still damp from their usual afternoon shower. They slid into the booth, sandwiching Bonnie, smiling as they did so. 

“Hey, there, gorgeous. Your date stand you up?” Shego remarked, leaning in closer to Bonnie.

“She must be some kind of fool,” Kim chimed in with a bright smile. 

“We should be able to show you a good time, though,” Shego commented, motioning between herself and Kim.

“You two are in good spirits,” Bonnie noted with a smile of her own.

“Shego and Yori had a random class clash and Shego’s just happy that her class won,” Kim remarked. 

“Class clash?” Bonnie echoed. This was something new.

“Shego and Yori have taken to randomly invading each other’s spaces with their whole classes and having like a mini-war,” Kim explained, waving her hand as if to mock the whole thing. 

Bonnie arched an eyebrow and turned to Shego. The ex-thief smirked and shrugged. Bonnie was not going to accept that as an answer and gently swatted the older woman to get a proper response. Before Shego got into what happened, the waiter came over and took their orders. 

“It’s something we just started. One day last week I was really bored and the class wasn’t that big, so I just figured I’d see if my class could take Yori’s class since it’s usually smaller than mine. We probably had the same amount of students that day, so I told my crew we were gonna ‘invade’ Yori’s room. We came, we saw, we conquered,” Shego boasted, making a fist.

“Yeah, and then a couple of days after that Yori’s class went complete ninja on them. When I came downstairs, Shego and her whole class were tied to the walls,” Kim added with a teasing grin.

Shego groaned and put her hand over her face. “You didn’t have to tell her that part, Pumpkin,” she muttered. 

“It’s always an adventure with you two,” Bonnie commented with a fond expression on her face.

“Don’t act like we’re the only ones. How did things at work? How fired are you on a scale of one to ten?” Shego asked. 

“I’d guess I’m a zero. I wasn’t fired and Mister Darrow seemed to understand my position pretty well,” Bonnie answered.

“Yeah, Charlie ain’t half bad a lot of the time. What happened with Heather, though? Has she found out you’re not fired?” Shego inquired.

“She knows I wasn’t fired, but she was talking about letting me go as her lawyer. She did apologize for her behavior, but figured it wouldn’t stop if I stayed on as her attorney. I asked her to give me a few days before she made any real decision and she agreed. It’s a good thing, too, because I have an idea on how I can get her off my back, but keep her as a client,” Bonnie informed them. 

“What’s this idea?” Kim asked curiously.

“I hope it’s something absolutely wicked, demon child,” Shego remarked with a twisted grin, folding her hands in front of her.

Bonnie shook her head and held up her hand. “Nothing of the sort, sweetness. I’m sorry. I just need you two to think of some very interesting women to introduce Heather to. She said she was so attracted to me because I was interesting and I didn’t treat her like Hollywood royalty,” she explained. 

“Oh!” Kim nodded. “I get it. I don’t know if she’d like any of the women I know. They’re mostly intellectuals who take themselves too seriously and kinda boring unless you want to talk about their field of expertise.” Her lovers gave her skeptical looks, but let it slide because they knew Kim’s perception of just about everything was different from the rest of the world.

“Well, don’t you know a lot of women who are like you, minus the hero thing anyway?” Bonnie asked.

Kim rubbed her chin and thought on it for a few seconds. “A few. Do you think Heather wants a woman that likes to play in dirt? I mean, the women I know who are interesting like to go down into pyramids or train tigers or space walk for fun and stuff like that.”

Bonnie sighed. “I’m not sure she meant _that_ interesting. What about you, Shego?”

Shego snorted, turning her nose up to the whole idea. “I’m not a dating service and I’m not trying to help Heather either.”

“Idiot, you’d be helping Bonnie,” Kim pointed out with a laugh.

“How so?” Shego inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“You’d be getting Heather off of her back,” the redhead stated the obvious. The waiter hustled back with their orders and put everything down before vanishing again.

“I don’t know that for sure. For all I know, she told the Duchess that just to put her at ease. I don’t trust her,” Shego declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, can we give it a chance before you disregard it? I mean, what if she’s telling the truth? This could be my chance to keep a good client and not get stressed out every single time I hear the word ‘actor’ or the name ‘Heather,’” Bonnie argued while stealing a fry from Kim’s plate.

Shego sighed. “Sorry, Duchess. I’m naturally suspicious, especially when it comes to sob stories. I know plenty of interesting women, though. Not as interesting as the ones Kimmie knows apparently,” she quipped, also stealing a fry from Kim’s plate. 

“Hey, I’m the one that knew you two first,” the hero countered.

“You’d probably know more interesting women, then. You should know more women like our little Bon-Bon anyway,” Shego teased. 

“Watch it, firefly,” Bonnie growled.

“Let’s stay focused,” Kim said, staving off an argument as she usually did. “Now, Shego, you probably know some rather sophisticated women. I mean, your father’s a count and everything. I’m sure you real royalty that could easily impress Hollywood royalty.” 

Shego shrugged. “I know some. Hell, I’m related to some,” she replied as if that was nothing. She bit into her fish sandwich.

“Would you mind introducing them to Heather?” Bonnie asked before starting in on her own food. 

“Are you sure you want that? I mean, I’m related to these people!” Shego remarked with a smile.

“Yeah, but on your father’s side. Kane isn’t as crazy as Isabel,” Bonnie joked. Well, Kane was at least a different kind of crazy. 

Shego laughed. “You might think that!”

“Seriously, though, sweetheart, can you help me out?” Bonnie inquired.

A scoff came before the response. “I could, but it means I’d have to call my father, who would then put me on the phone with my mother, who would make me want to strangle her through the phone.” 

Bonnie took her lover’s hand and gave her a pleading expression. “Please, sweetheart, can you do this for me? I would make it worth your wile,” she promised with a licentious glint in her eye. Kim could not help chuckling from the look and knowing that the eldest of the their trio would cave.

“I guess I could…” Shego groaned. “Like I said, I’ll have to call Daddy…” 

“Why?” Bonnie asked, pulling away from Shego to continue on eating her chicken salad.

“I don’t keep up with much of my family. Besides, Daddy’ll know when the next big blue-blood get together is. There’s usually a lot of them, as these guys need to keep busy and find places to brag to each other, but you have to know where to look. This way, we can just show up with Heather. Hell, my father might even be able to arrange a get together,” Shego explained.

“Anything to get Heather hooked up with somebody,” Bonnie declared.

“Okay, but I totally expect a favor in return,” the former thief stated. 

“You mean like I won’t tell my baby that it was you who turned off her Kimmunicator last weekend and then hid it,” Bonnie said with a devilish smile.

Kim growled. “You told me Cali hid it!” She glared at Shego. “Damn it, Shego, you were screaming at Cali all day last week for something she didn’t even do!” 

Shego shrugged. “You needed a day off,” she replied nonchalantly. That did not stop the glaring. But, to be fair, the glaring would not stop her from doing it again the next time she felt Kim needed a day off. Of course, she might need to find someone new to pin it on. That would teach Bonnie to rat her out. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Wow, Shego, you threw this together rather fast,” Kim commented, staring around the semi-crowded art gallery. 

Everyone in attendance was dressed formally and looked as if they had just stepped out of a movie. Kim was no different. She was dressed in a formal, teal-colored dress with her hair done up with a diamond studded tiara and matching earrings. Shego wanted her to look like a real princess for the night, insisting she wear the tiara and hold her head up high. 

“I didn’t. I told you there’s always one of these going on somewhere. You just need to know where. I don’t keep up with them since I try not to make it a habit to rob my family,” Shego remarked, sporting her own sexy black and green dress. Compared to the other gowns, hers looked a little risque, but it was somewhat expected of her.

“Because you’ll get in trouble?” Kim guessed, giving her lover a teasing smile.

“Shut up, Princess,” Shego replied. Of course, that was the exact reason she did not rob family members. Her parents would be on her back and never get off. She did not want that burden. 

“I hope Bonnie’s able to get Heather here,” Kim said, looking around the gala. She doubted she had ever seen so much expensive art, jewelry, and wine all in the same place. _Monique would probably faint if she could see these clothes_ , Kim thought.

“I’m sure that wasn’t a problem. Kimmie, keep an eye out for my parents. They might pop up and I want a heads’ up.”

“They don’t come to these things often?” the hero asked. She could imagine Isabel in the setting, but oddly enough had problems picturing Kane being some place like this. She could not figure out how Kane had come from this world after seeing him in what had to be his element, which was just goofing off with his children. 

“Not really. It’s not my dad’s thing, but he does come to some of the ones at art galleries. He loves art,” Shego replied with a slight shrug.

“And that’s where you get it from,” Kim stated with an impish smile. 

“Don’t get cute, Princess. I know where you sleep, after all,” the former thief playfully threatened her girlfriend.

Kim smiled and then looked around. “How about you introduce me to some of your family while we wait for Bonnie?”

“I suppose. Don’t worry either. They’re not a stuffy bunch. I mean, they accept my mother, even though she’s not European nobility,” Shego said. 

“Is your mother even European?” Kim teased.

“I think at this point, my mother, like me and my brothers, just considers herself an Earthling,” Shego remarked. Her mother’s side of the family was pretty much every ethnic group under the sun. 

Shego and Kim drifted through the crowded gathering. Shego’s family was very polite as they met Kim. Some of them had even heard of the hero and happily chatted her up. Shego did not seem to mind, which surprised Kim. Usually, Shego was just antagonistic about everything, but she smiled through this and stood a little taller with each interaction. Kim wondered if Shego was pleased that her family accepted their relationship.

“Your family is very accepting,” Kim noted. 

“You have no idea. Believe it or not, my father told them that I’m seeing two women at the same time. While you’ve been talking to one, someone else is asking me where’s the other woman,” Shego commented.

Her father’s side of the family accepting all that was weird and crazy always astonished her. She was not sure why they were so accepting, but she was glad for it. But, then again, it might just be that nothing surprised them anymore after dealing with Kane and Isabel. There was also the fact that they had to deal with Kane and his kids having super powers and being hunted by the government. Then, they had to deal with her becoming a criminal and wanted pretty much all around the globe. She supposed anything that did not involve jail time was fine by her family now. 

“I think they’re a nice group,” Kim commented with a kind smile.

“They’re all right,” Shego said conservatively.

“I figure since it’s your father’s side, you’d be all right with admitting you like them. I’ve already seen you with them, after all,” Kim pointed out. 

“Again, they’re all right. I could’ve done worse as far as families go,” Shego conceded somewhat.

Kim decided not to press the issue, especially since Shego was in a good mood. “Have they always been like this?”

“Pretty much from what I remember. When we first met them, my dad was nervous. He didn’t think they’d accept his family, but he was pretty wrong. They teased my dad and everything, but they were generally nice to us.” 

“To the point where you have relatives that you’ll have extended conversations with and they’ll invite you to their homes and things like that?” Kim asked.

Shego nodded. “Yes, to that point. Like a regular family,” she admitted, trying her best to sound annoyed and failing miserably. 

The conversation was cut short as Bonnie appeared by their sides. Shego wrapped an arm around Bonnie as soon as she was standing there. She then whistled as a joke when she noticed what Bonnie had on.

“You look fucking beautiful, Duchess,” Shego commented, eyes wandering her tanned lover’s petite form. 

“What she said,” Kim concurred with a nod. Her own eyes could not stay off of Bonnie.

“Thank you, loves. You two look beautiful, too. This is a rather impressive event, too,” Bonnie said, scanning the gallery.

“Where’s the guest of honor?” Shego asked.

“Already mingling. When we walked in, someone recognized her and they started talking. She walked off with the woman,” Bonnie explained, waving through it to gesture that Heather was gone. 

“So, is your work here done already?” Kim inquired.

“I hope so. I’m going to try to keep an eye on her, just to make sure.” 

Shego and Kim agreed with that. The trio drifted through the party, watching Heather. Shego even sent a few of her relatives Heather’s way, knowing they might interest the movie star and be interested in return. It seemed to be working out quite well until they overheard one conversation.

“You mean you came here with Bonnie? I could’ve sworn that was Shego’s other girlfriend,” one of the relatives said, speaking to Heather. The trio inched a little closer, but remained out of Heather’s sight. 

“Other girlfriend? I know Bonnie’s in a relationship, but what do you mean by other?” Heather asked curiously. It was at this point the trio realized a glaring flaw in their plan. 

Shego shot her cousin, a regal woman by the name of Francesca, a signal, slicing her hand across her neck, showing she needed to cut the conversation. The cousin nodded and Shego sighed in relief. Thankfully, her fathers’ side of the family was kind and just change the conversation. Her mother’s side of the family would have used that as a prime moment to let the torment begin. 

“I’m sorry, sometimes my English is little poor. I meant to just say Shego’s girlfriend. Bonnie is Shego’s girlfriend,” the cousin recovered, smiling gracefully through the whole lie to sell it.

Heather nodded. “I did arrive with Bonnie, but I’m not with her or anything. She escorted me to the event to make sure I found my way.”

“That was rather brilliant of her. I must remember to thank her for doing me such a favor. It is not often that I get to engage in the presence of such a beautiful… no, excuse me, a _radiant_ woman,” the cousin said with a charming smile as she eased up closer to Heather.

“Shego, I see where your dad gets it from now,” Kim commented, referring to the line used by Shego’s cousin.

“Believe it or not, it wasn’t until I came out that my cousins started acting that way with the same sex. Before, they liked to pretend that none of them were gay, even though quite a few of them actually are,” Shego informed her lovers.

“Really? As open as your family is, no one was out of the closet until you?” Bonnie asked in disbelief. She could not fathom a family that seemed to not even care that Shego was dating two women could have ever cared if someone was gay.

“No one knew they were this accepting. I mean, yes, they accepted my mom, even though she wasn’t nobility or European, but then again, my dad’s father wasn’t either. My mother was cruder than my grandfather, I’m sure, but it wasn’t that out of the ordinary. Plus, they think of my dad as a weird little guy. He’s the black sheep… or was, until I came along,” Shego tried to explain.

“But, still, why would they be scared to come out? I mean, if Kane wasn’t ostracized for being a ‘weird little guy’ then, shouldn’t someone think it’s safe to be out?” Kim wondered.

“I think some of it has to do with my father’s family is private. Sure, they go to elaborate parties, flash around like other rich people do, and everything, but for the most part, they keep to themselves. So, it might not have really been about hiding in the closet, but just wanting to keep their personal life personal,” Shego explained as best she could.

She was not entirely sure why her gay family members did not start to show themselves until she came out. It was obvious no one of any importance would shun them for their sexuality. Funny enough, most of her family members that were out were ones that no one would know was gay, even now unless they spent a lot of time with the family. Even her cousin who was chatting up Heather was only pouring it on because she asked her to do. 

“Thanks for this, Francesca,” Shego said to her cousin in a low voice. Her cousin was tall and pale with waves of curly black hair flowing down her back. She had a face that one might expect to see on a Roman statue, but there was a slight hardness in her fierce blue-green eyes that warned against bullshit. Her stance was something like that of a warrior and Shego was certain that if Francesca parents knew how she would look as an adult they would have named her Minerva.

“It’s nothing. She is quite attractive and so far our conversations have been graced with wit and intelligence on her part. I am enjoying myself,” her cousin replied with a smile, all the while keeping an eye on Heather as a few other relatives came to speak to her.

“Doesn’t hurt that you like her movies, huh?” Shego teased with a smirk.

“Only her recent work. Her early movies are too juvenile for my taste. She’s wonderful now, but I would like to find out about the woman behind the mask.”

“And when you see that snobby Beatrice, you can tell her you’re dating Hollywood royalty while she’s still trying to find a discreet rehab faculty for that model bitch she left you for, eh?” Shego said.

Aqua eyes rolled. “Please, Beatrice is not even a thought in my mind. I may see her or I may not, but that doesn’t mean I will not pursue Heather. She is available, correct?”

“Very. She wants a woman that’ll treat her like a regular person… and be a little bit mean to her, too, from what I can tell.” Shego glanced over at Bonnie. “Don’t be scared to tell her no and make sure you always call her on any bullshit.”

“Trust me, I will not be spoiling her until I know she’s worth it. But, I will enjoy seeing if she is worth it. Now, let me get back to her because Marco’s hands are wandering far too much for my liking,” Francesca remarked, practically gliding away from Shego. 

Shego watched as Francesca moved to Heather’s side as if she belonged there, knocking their cousin Marco away like a pest. It was obvious to her that Heather was in good hands. She might have to convince her lovers of that… as soon as she could find them. Moving along, she mingled for a while before retrieving her girlfriends.

“So, what do you think?” Bonnie asked Shego.

“My cousin Francesca was quite taken with Heather. I think if all goes well, we won’t have to worry about her anymore. Francesca doesn’t bow to anyone, even though she likes Heather’s movies. She also doesn’t let people push her around, but she likes being able to spoil her girlfriends once she’s sure she likes them enough for a committed relationship. I’m sure she’ll be able to keep Heather good and interested. As long as Heather plays it cool and doesn’t try anything with Francesca, things will be fine,” Shego assured them.

“So, as long as Heather’s looking for a real relationship, Francesca will provide that?” Kim clarified.

Shego nodded. “Exactly. Francesca… well, she’s the marrying type. Unfortunately, her previous two girlfriends weren’t. Her first love… well… The whole point is Francesca will take care of Heather if Heather lets her and if Heather does the same in return.”

The trio stuck around for a little while, just observing Francesca and Heather. Neither woman seemed to want to show too much interest in the other, so Francesca would let Heather wander away for a few minutes, but always made her way back to the redhead. Heather tried her best to engage others in conversation, but she always ended up turning back to Francesca and talking to her. 

By the end of the night, Heather looked genuinely happy, especially with Francesca’s arm around her waist. Bonnie went over to Heather, wanting the movie star to know she was leaving. Heather seemed disappointed.

“You want to leave already?” Heather asked, glancing up at Francesca, even though the question was directed at Bonnie. 

“I have work tomorrow, so I need to leave now. You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to, but you obviously will need a ride home,” Bonnie pointed out, also glancing at Francesca.

“Well, if the lady wishes to stay a bit longer, I could provide transport,” Francesca offered. 

“Would you?” Heather asked, eyes shining in a way that Bonnie had never seen before. It was quite clear the big movie star was taken with true nobility.

“It would be my sincere honor and guilty pleasure,” Francesca remarked with a charming smile.

“Then it’s settled,” Bonnie said with a smile and she was about to walk away, but she needed to know. “Francesca, how closely related to Kane, are you?” she asked.

“His mother and my father were siblings,” Francesca replied. “Yes, the personality is from this end,” she added with a small smile and a wink. 

“I thought as much. Goodnight, you two,” the lawyer said. As soon as she was far enough away, she sighed in relief. It seemed like everything would be okay.

“So, are we in the clear?” Shego inquired as Bonnie returned to her and Kim. 

“I think everything went perfect. We can actually leave now if you both want to,” Bonnie reported.

“It might be best. It’s a school night,” Kim quipped, earning an amused smile from the other martial artist.

The trio decided to count the night as a victory and returned home. Cali bounced around their feet when they stepped into the apartment, happy that her humans were back. They showered and fell into bed, cuddling into each other. 

“I think we’ve actually gotten one monkey off of our backs,” Bonnie commented, pressing herself against Kim’s side.

“Great, now only two dozen or so to go,” Shego quipped before yawning.

“Let’s just revel in the good news for once. We can sleep easy knowing that tomorrow only Shego’s students will be trying to hit on us,” Kim remarked.

Shego and Bonnie chuckled a bit before the trio eased into a pleasant sleep. Cali made her way near the room when she was certain nothing was going on and that the door was still open. She made herself comfortable on Kim’s side. The trio noticed the cat, but left her where she was. Later on that week, Shego received a call from Francesca, a thanks for introducing her to such a wonderful woman.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim gets into serious trouble.


	3. Archeology 101 — How to Dig Up Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. Except for Cali, Isabel, Kane, and Professor Sobek. Those are mine.
> 
> A/N: there’s some violence here that’s beyond the usual stuff that would normally happen on Kim Possible. Consider that this a warning.

3: Archeology 101 — How to Dig Up Trouble 

Kim was cleaning up after her classroom was empty when the Kimmunicator sounded. Reaching into her back pocket, she plucked the small device out. The newest incarnation of the Kimmunicator was about the size of Blackberry. It was more practical than her wrist Kimmunicator because it was hard for her to do demonstrations with others while she wore the device. It snagged on everything.

“What’s the sitch, Wade?” Kim asked as the young man’s visage appeared on the screen. 

“Hey, Kim, you got a hit on the site by a professor. It’s not your usual mission, but I figured if you didn’t have anything better to do, then you might want to look into it,” Wade explained.

She arched an eyebrow in curiosity. “What’s it about?” 

“Apparently, a Doctor A. Sobek, who is a professor at a somewhat decent university, is planning a trip to Egypt to explore a new pyramid he and some colleagues discovered on another expedition sometime last year. The short story is that he doesn’t want to take any of his grad students with him because he thinks it might be too dangerous in such unexplored territory. But, then he seemed to recall the famous Kim Possible has a masters in Anthropology and thought you might want to tag along,” Wade explained.

“Sounds spanking!” Kim grinned and bounced on her heels. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and even through the small screen of the Kimmunicator, Wade could swear her whole body glowed. 

“I figured it might sound that way to you. So, I should get back to him and say you’re all for it?” 

“Well, I need to check in with the ‘wives’ first,” she joked, earning a laugh.

“This is why I’m staying single and fancy free. Let me know if you’re allowed to go out and play in the dirt,” Wade teased her.

Kim chuckled, they bid each other farewell, and they disconnected the communication. The redhead finished up her cleaning and then went downstairs to meet up with Shego. She was tempted to bring up the “mission,” but thought it would be best to do with Bonnie around. So, her “request” to leave was held until dinner that night. 

-8-8-8-8-

“One of these days, one of us has to cook a meal again,” Bonnie commented, looking at Shego since they were the two allowed to use the stove. They sat at the dinner table, eating their meals on plates, even though they had purchased the food from a nearby takeout restaurant. 

“It has been a long time since we’ve had a home cooked meal,” Shego concurred, nodding a couple of times. “Fine, I’ll cook tomorrow,” she conceded.

“What do you want in return?” Bonnie asked suspiciously with an arched eyebrow. It was rare for Shego to so openly altruistic, especially with sounding offended while doing it. 

“Do you think you could hold off on that?” Kim inquired, interrupting the flow of the conversation to interject her own topic. “I was hoping I could go on a mission soon and I don’t want to miss any home cooking,” she said, the glint in her eyes showing her words had a double meaning.

“A mission? To where? About what?” Shego countered, turning her attention to the redhead. Bonnie did the same.

“And with whom? Obviously it’s not a rescue mission or you would’ve left and filled us in later,” Bonnie pointed out.

“It’s a real easy mission from what I can gather. An archeology professor wants to go into a recently discovered pyramid. Apparently, he thought it was too dangerous for any of his grad students to go since the tomb hasn’t been explored yet, but he hit up the site, requesting me. I would love to go, loves. Please? It’s a once in a lifetime chance. I mean, how many unexplored pyramids will there be in this lifetime?” Kim clasped her hands together like a beggar, hoping it would get them to cave. They were not fans of her missions, after all. 

Bonnie and Shego looked at each other. They seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. Kim followed along somewhat, but they were pretty good at keeping her out of the loop when they wanted to.

“Shego, maybe you could go with her,” Bonnie finally suggested. 

“I don’t think I should. Do you know how tempting it would be to be in a pyramid full of goodies that haven’t been cataloged? I feel like I might not be able to help myself in that sort of situation,” Shego answered honestly, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers. The thought was already tempting, even though she did not even need the money. Just the idea of owning something so priceless was enticing.

“I don’t need a babysitter, babe,” Kim objected, olive eyes glaring at the lawyer for even suggesting such a thing. 

“I would feel better if you did have one. I mean, I know this sounds simple enough, but if he wasn’t willing to take his own grad students, then I feel like something’s up about it. Can you take Ron?” Bonnie requested. 

“Ron doesn’t really run with me on these things anymore, and he’s out of town for a couple of days on a little vacation with Yori anyway. Besides, even if he did, Ron wouldn’t want to go on this trip. He’d think it was boring,” Kim explained.

Bonnie sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. Cali noticed how distressed Bonnie seemed and tried to help by rubbing herself up against Bonnie’s leg. The action was distracting and earned Cali a petting, but nothing more.

“Baby, I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Bonnie said with a sigh, shaking her head. Her eyes clouded over with unease and glum.

“What? This is like one of the easiest missions I’ve ever been given. Plus, I get to use my degree. This is win/win for me, baby,” Kim argued, which caused both Bonnie and Shego to blink in shock. Even Cali had to pause from her meal for a second. Kim was actually arguing with Bonnie. It was so rare that they almost did not know how to process the information.

“Baby, I know you don’t get to do work in your actual degree-related field, but there are other ways to work as an anthropologist,” Bonnie retorted.

“I forgot you even had an anthropology degree,” Shego mumbled, glancing away for a moment. She then turned back and looked at both of her lovers. “Bonnie, you know what, I think we should let her do this.”

“What?” Bonnie said in disbelief, her eyes wide.

“Think about it. Kim never gets to use her degree as far as we know and I like to think we’re as up-to-date in her life as you can get without actually being glued to her. Imagine if you never got to use your degree. You’d have jumped out the window by now, probably taking Kim with you,” Shego commented, earning odd looks from her girlfriends. “What? I’d gnaw my arm off, so she wouldn’t be taking me down with her,” she remarked.

“What? It’s different with me,” Bonnie replied, mentally kicking herself as soon as the words left her mouth. Unfortunately, she was going to have to stand by that weak argument.

“How so? How could it possibly be different with you? You went to school and started taking law classes because you like law. You got a degree in law, so that you could practice law. You got a job in a law firm, so that you could practice law, which you’re doing. But, if you mean it’s different because your job is less dangerous, well, not from where I’m sitting,” Shego argued.

Bonnie tensed for a moment, her whole body rigid. Her girlfriends reached out for her, hoping to comfort her, knowing just where her mind went. Bonnie was thinking back to her close encounter with her former coworker Lyle and how he had attempted to force himself on her. 

“Duchess, I don’t mean _that_. I swear, I didn’t mean _that_ ,” Shego whispered in a soothing tone, taking the attorney’s hand and drawing small circles on her wrist with her thumb. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Bonnie’s temple. It was not that she did not mean the job was dangerous, but she did was not referring to that incident.

“Then… what…?” Bonnie asked in a low, shallow voice. She had to take a few deep breaths to keep herself calm. 

“I just mean, I’ve been in courtrooms and I’ve heard tales of other criminals in courtrooms. It’s not the safest area on the planet. Hell, one time I even flipped out. I was really young at the time and I had just been arrested. I got some bad news and punched through the table. While the bailiffs were trying to hold me down, I kicked poor Charlie in the stomach. I hit him pretty hard, too. The whole area was all bruised and nasty. I’ve spoken to people in prison who actually pulled knives and guns in court. Duchess, you might dress nice and go into a courtroom to make intelligent, logical arguments, but sometimes shit just happens,” Shego answered.

“Shit is more likely to happen with Kim, though,” Bonnie pointed out, taking things back to the original problem.

“On an archeological dig? I doubt it. Besides, again, she went to school for this degree because I’m sure the field interests her. It’s not fair to keep her away from her field. Hell, even I get to use my degree to a certain extent. Why should we stand in the way of her using hers?” Shego reasoned, motioning to the redhead with a wave of her hand.

“Just because I call it a ‘mission,’ Bonnie, doesn’t mean it’s like all my other missions either. I just called it that because he contacted me through my website, which has happened before. A lot of the scholars I know get in touch with me through the website because they know those messages will get to me faster,” Kim chimed in.

Bonnie seemed on the verge, so Kim decided to cheat to tip the scale in her favor. The puppy-dog pout was to be used in emergencies only and Kim considered losing the chance to go into an unexplored pyramid a complete and total emergency. So, the puppy-dog pout was on her face within seconds.

“Ah, no! Kimmie, that’s not fair!” Bonnie closed her eyes and turned away. “Okay, fine, I see how important this is to you if you have to use something like that on me. You can go, so put it away.” 

“It’s gone,” Kim said with a grin.

“Nice move, Princess!” Shego reached across the table to give her redheaded lover a high-five. 

“Don’t encourage her,” Bonnie barked, glaring at the eldest among them. “You know if she used it on you, you’d be up in arms.”

Shego snorted. “Yeah, but she’s not using it on me, so it’s cool.”

Bonnie shook her head. “You’re the reason that she did something so manipulative in the first place. You’re a bad influence on her,” she teased. 

“Oh, yes, and you’ve just been a shining beacon of morality for her to look to,” Shego countered with a smirk.

“Please, at least I’ve got it together Miss I-can’t-go-into-pyramid-because-it’s-too-tempting,” Bonnie snapped, smiling somewhat herself now.

Kim turned her attention back to her meal while her girlfriends went at each other. It was a way of getting things to go back to normal. While they argued, she sneaked Cali a little bit of her meal, giving the cat some beef before Cali wandered over to Shego. Cali begging for fish halted the whole thing and they all went back to eating dinner.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim yawned as she waited for Professor Sobek to show up at their agreed meeting place. She had been to Egypt many times in her life, but it was never like it was now. There was almost tangible electricity in the air. She was certain it was her excitement bubbling inside of her, trying to get out. Whatever it was, she felt like she was going to burst at any moment.

She waited in a quiet little village that she was certain had more goats than people. It was a nice place and she promised herself to come back again, if only to bask in the peace and quiet for a few moments. Her moment there was short lived as the reason she was waiting walked up to her.

“Kim Possible, I am so glad that you could meet me. I’m Doctor Sobek,” the man introduced himself.

Reaching out, Kim shook the man’s hand. She felt like she should have heard of him or he should at least look vaguely familiar. His face was not ringing any bells, though. But, then again, he had a somewhat generic look. There was the short, but wavy black hair with square jaw and unassuming brown eyes hidden behind average glasses. He could have been any middle-aged businessman on the street… vacationing in Egypt.

“Ready to go into the unknown?” the professor asked with a charming smile.

Kim grinned. “I was born ready. So, do you think on the way to this pyramid, you could fill me in on things?” She wanted to know everything about this place.

“Of course I will. But, we should really get going. I have a jeep waiting for us,” he told her, motioning in the direction he came.

Kim nodded and followed him over to the jeep he had. There were supplies in the back, but they were bundled up. As soon as she was secure in the vehicle, he pulled off. She was jerked back, but quickly recovered.

“So, did you discover this pyramid by any chance?” Kim asked.

“Yes, I did and my school has me keeping it under wraps for right now. They don’t want to say anything until we have more information. So, I’m supposed to explore it as quietly as possible,” he explained.

“And they picked now and they didn’t assign anyone else to do this with you?” she inquired. It seemed somewhat weird for him to come to do something so important alone. There should at least be someone else there to check his work and she was not qualified for that.

“Yes, now. They want this done as soon as possible. I’m alone for the most part because they want this as quiet as possible to keep looters away from it. We’ll be safe if that’s what you’re worried about. In fact, this is one of the reasons I requested that you accompany.”

Kim nodded and smiled. “Safety certainly won’t be an issue.”

“I figured as much when you agreed to come. This is one of the reasons why the university was fine with me going alone, actually. They had considered it might not be a good thing for me to go on my own, but once I pointed out I had Kim Possible on board, they were very gung-ho about this. So, I’d like to thank you again for agreeing.”

“It’s no problem for me. I’m always happy for an excuse to dip my feet back into anthropology.” In fact, she wished she had more opportunities to do so.

He nodded. “I’ve had colleagues who spoke of your work when you were a grad student. They had been expecting you to delve deeper into the field. What happened?”

Kim scratched her cheek and smiled a bit, half-amused and half-embarrassed. “I’m not too sure what happened. I graduated and just fell back into what I did whenever I didn’t have school. I guess I always took it like I was on break and, eventually, I’d get back into it when classes started up again. The only problem was that I didn’t have classes anymore.” She shrugged.

“That’s too bad. Hopefully, this will whet your whistle and get you back into the field. I’m sure you’d do well in it.”

The redhead could not help giggling. “I hope I can get back into it. I might not have the time, though.” She had classes to teach, after all.

As exciting as it was to be doing something close to her field, Kim was not an anthropologist and she doubted she ever would be. Once upon a time, she would have liked to be one, but she was not one now. No, she was a teacher of small children eager to learn martial arts and she liked that very much. So, she would play in the dirt for a little while, wish she could do it more often, and then get back to her life and her many different loves.

“You might not have the time? If you’re as good at this as I’ve heard, you should make the time. It’s fun, plus, if you play your cards right, you get fame in certain circles and money if you know where to look,” he pointed out.

“Well, I don’t do anything for the money or the fame,” she replied, shaking her head a little. It was like this guy did not know much about her. Back when she was a teen the fame might have factored in because like most teenagers, she wanted to be popular. Now though, she just did things to do them. Being a hero for her was like breathing. She needed to do it, so she did it. End of story.

He glanced over at her, his brow furrowing as he arched an eyebrow. “No? I thought those were the reasons most people lived their lives, but now that you point it out, I guess you make a point. If you wanted those things, you would’ve had it by now,” he reasoned.

“Right.”

“Well, I hope you want adventure because I think we’ll be having that for the next week or so.”

“I told you before that I can only stick around for a few days,” she reminded him. When she contacted him about going with him, she made it clear that she was only free for four days tops. Then, she had to get back to her classes and her girlfriends.

“You say that now, but wait until you’re in that pyramid.”

Her only response was to laugh. For a while, they traveled in silence. There was not much to discuss beyond the pyramid as far as Kim was concerned since she could not very well tell the doctor she had never heard of him. But, she figured out a way around that.

“So, Doctor Sobek, what sort of papers have you published recently?” she asked. Surely she would be able to bring up his work in her mental index if he just ran off some titles or descriptions. While she might not be active in the field, she was well read in pretty much everything.

He glanced at her and then focused ahead of them. “Uh… nothing recently really. That’s one of the reasons why this find is so big for me. I need to do something soon. This is definitely going to put me on the map, though.”

“How’d you find this pyramid anyway?” she asked curiously. It seemed strange that someone so unaccomplished would have such a big find. Maybe he was with someone more experienced, but then, why did that person not get this assignment?

He gave off a soft chuckle and glanced at her again. “Believe it or not, it was pure dumb luck. I got lost on a dig with a colleague. There was a sand storm and I was caught in the middle of it. I ended up walking in the wrong direction for the camp and as the storm lifted I found myself standing in front of what looked like a mountain covered in sand. The rock part that I was seeing happened to be an eroded part of the pyramid and the rest is buried under tons of sand.”

“An eroded pyramid?” she echoed, almost skeptically. She unconsciously raised an eyebrow to this.

“I know. That’s the same thought I had, but it’s definitely a pyramid. I’m guessing it just wasn’t set up on prime real estate,” he remarked.

Kim nodded for lack of a better thing to do. “So, is there a clear way in and everything?”

“Yes, there is an entry way for us to use. I was able to look at some of it when I was here the last time, so we should be clear on that.”

Again the hero nodded. Focusing ahead, she did her best to remain still and not bounce in her seat from giddiness. The idea of being one of the first people in a pyramid that no one had been in over the course of millennia was so… exhilarating. Olive eyes began searching the dunes, wondering when they were going to get to the pyramid.

“Is there going to be anyone else there or is just going to us the whole time?” Kim asked suddenly, realizing Doctor Sobek had not mentioned any colleagues joining him at any point. She was not going to be there long, so she thought eventually his university would send someone to be with him. He could not possibly handle something like this by himself.

“No, it’ll just be us. I’ve got the initial investigation, but they’ll be along after I report my findings,” Sobek answered.

Kim found herself nodding again, storing that information in the back of her mind. It was a little weird, a voice in her head commented. Shaking it away, she tried not to think about it and just focus on the excitement of her latest adventure.

They were at the site faster than she thought they would be, but she was able to see why the pyramid stayed hidden for as long as it had. There were rocks around that looked almost exactly like the exposed part of the pyramid surrounding the structure. What she could see of the pyramid, it was smaller than she expected. It was smaller than any pyramid she had ever seen in Egypt. It seemed like it was about half the size of what she expected, but it was hard to gauge because it was buried underneath so much sand.

“We should set up the tents and get settled in. When we’re done, if there’s time, we’ll do an initial once-over of the pyramid and see what we’re working with,” he suggested.

“I can’t wait!” Kim grinned.

They started working on setting up their camp. The redhead had a bunch of archeology questions for the doctor, which he seemed a little nervous about answering. She guessed it went back to the fact that he did not have much published, which he admitted to dozens of times. He was certain this discovery would change it all, though. She was inclined to agree.

“This is the discovery of a lifetime,” Kim said.

“It definitely is,” he agreed with a nod.

They finished with the camp with enough time to at least survey the pyramid. The entrance was exposed, starting at the base of what looked like a rock pile. Kim could already gather the pyramid was probably a hazard zone. The way it was set up, it seemed almost like it might have fallen over and that was why it was eroded and buried unlike similar structures in Egypt.

“What do you think caused it to become like this?” Kim inquired, wanting to pick his brain on theories.

“I’m not entirely sure. I’m hoping that exploring the inside will help explain how it ended up like this,” the doctor answered.

“What do you think we could expect to find in here?” Kim asked, turning her flashlight on as they stood a few feet inside of the site.

“A tomb, of course. Vast riches from a time almost forgotten,” he replied, sounding like he was trying to make a joke.

“Do you have any clue who the pyramid was built for?” she inquired, turning her light to the walls. Even the hieroglyphics were faded and eroded, which she had to take pictures of. It was so peculiar and awfully fascinating. She wished she had more time to devote to the place, but she just felt her students needed her more. The thought did not surprise her because she loved her crazy little kids. She also wanted to get back to her family; neither her lovers nor their pet seemed pleased she was leaving for almost a week. Maybe if the university sent a proper team, she would be allowed to join them for a couple of days sometime in the future, which would be enough time for her.

“Honestly, no. I didn’t get a chance to much exploring before, remember? So, this’ll be as much a surprise for you as it will be for me,” he answered with a smile.

“I’m almost tempted to say we should keep going,” she said, unable to hold her grin as she scanned the walls.

“I know what you mean, but we should both be well rested. Then, we can wander about this place all day tomorrow.”

“Doc, you are speaking my language.”

“I should hope so.”

They looked around the entrance a little more before retreating back to their tents for the night. The doctor did not say much after that, informing her that he had notes to work on. It sounded right to her, so she went to her own tent and checked in with her girlfriends using her Kimmunicator. They were able to do a video chat using Bonnie’s cell phone.

“How’s it going, baby? Nothing too exciting happened, right?” Bonnie asked.

“No, nothing exciting how you’re thinking happened, but something exciting did happen!” Kim replied with a happy chirp.

“What happened, Pumpkin?” Shego inquired with a small smile. She was pleased to see how happy the redhead was.

“We made it to the pyramid, which is in a strange location and looks ever stranger. It’s been eroded, so it looks like nothing more than a pile of rocks and a sand dune. We went inside already, but not too deep. The insides are just as eroded as the outsides. You know how with most pyramids, you’d never guess it was from a couple of thousand years ago?”

“Yes,” Shego answered, just because she knew it was not a real question.

“This one you totally can tell its thousands of years old. Hopefully, once we get inside and go deeper, I’ll be able to learn more about Ancient Egypt’s culture and people. I already recorded some of the hieroglyphics, so I can study them later. There might be a clue in there as to why the pyramid ended up the way it is, too. This is going to be a great four days,” Kim proclaimed, bouncing in her seat.

“Just four days, right? You’re not going to extend it?” Bonnie asked, just to be sure.

“No, I’m not. I want to get back to my classes already. I miss the little guys,” Kim admitted with a somewhat sorrowful smile.

“Sounds like someone should’ve gotten an early childhood education degree,” Shego teased.

“It never occurred to me. Most of the time, I assume I’m not good with children. I mean, after trying to coach my little brothers’ soccer team when I was in high school, I always figured it was best that I stay away from little kids,” the hero explained with a sheepish laugh.

“Well, Kimmie, you sound like you did this thing called ‘growing up.’ Most people do it as they get older and find out they’re not the same crazy person they were in high school,” Shego remarked.

“Aren’t you pretty much the same?” Bonnie accused the former villain.

“Hey, this isn’t about me. It’s about our little cupcake. Now, back to you, Kimmie, is everything all right?” Shego asked to be sure. 

“Fine. Everything is on schedule and correct. I’ll be home soon.”

“All right. Oh, hold on, Cali wants to look at you or something since she’s too lazy to change forms,” Shego said. Cali was suddenly on screen — still in her cat form. She purred and bumped the screen with her nose, but that was pretty much it. Farewells were said between the lovers and the communication was then disconnected.

Kim went to sleep with a smile on her face. She dreamed of the pyramid and her students waiting for her. She could not wait to get to either.

In the morning, Kim and Professor Sobek had a light breakfast. They then set out to explore the pyramid. Once they made sure they had all of their supplies, they were off. The first day was just spent mapping the place. They found a lot of tunnels and rooms, which they made note of. They also made note of what chambers they felt were safe to go into and what chambers they thought would be best to avoid with just the two of them there. There were plenty of paths blocked off, but Kim assumed a proper excavation crew would get to that.

Kim spent much of her time photographing things to study later on. Professor Sobek took a lot of notes, especially on a small note pad, which Kim did not think was suitable for the dark area. She did not say anything, though, figuring it might just be a quirk of his. Closing out the day, they found several other entrances for the pyramid, which illustrated just how damaged the structure was. They did not speak at all while they were down there.

“Hey,” Kim said as they exited the site. “Do you want to compare notes or talk about anything we saw?” she suggested. She was hyped and ready to talk for the rest of the night. 

“No, I think I better organize these notes and then get to bed. I’m worn out,” he replied, heading for his tent.

The redhead’s face fell. “Oh… okay…” Moseying along, she returned to her tent and sighed. The professor was not very good company, but she supposed he might be overwhelmed with his discovery. She did not have time to think long on it as her Kimmunicator went off and she answered it, seeing that it was her lovers. “Hello, beautiful and beautiful,” she remarked with a smile.

“The sun must be getting to her already,” Shego remarked, off screen. From the sound of her voice, she was clearly close by, though.

“I’ll take both of those beautiful comments then. I’m twice as beautiful as you are, anyway,” Bonnie replied, smiling at Kim. “So, how are things going?”

“Fine. We got a lot of work done today mapping everything out to make sure we don’t get lost down there. Tomorrow we’ll start exploring the chambers more thoroughly. It’s quite fun,” Kim answered with a grin.

“How’s thing with the professor? Is he taking good care of you?” 

“He’s pretty absorbed in his work, but then again, I can understand that one. I was pretty absorbed, too. It’s all so intense. We didn’t talk at all while we were exploring. It was amazing,” Kim said with clear awe in her voice.

“You spent the day with someone without saying one word to them?” Bonnie could not believe it and the look on her face made that quite clear. 

“It was _that_ intense. I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Kim felt like she might burst from her skin at the very thought of exploring more of this extraordinary discovery. 

Bonnie smiled a little. “I’m glad you’re having such a good time.”

“I am. How are you two doing? Miss me?” the hero teased a bit. 

“We do. I can’t wait for you to get back here. In two days right?”

“Yes, two days. How are my kids doing?”

“Shego said they’re doing fine. I think they miss you. She was talking about how they were bothering Kane about when you’re going to come back,” Bonnie reported.

“Where is Shego?” Olive eyes scanned the image, trying to find some sign of the eldest, but did not even see an ebony strand of hair.

Bonnie glanced off to the side. “She’s trying to get Cali to stop tearing up one of her favorite shoes. I think she’s forgetting that Cali understands English because she’s just cursing at her. Cali probably thinks she’s playing around since Shego’s always cursing at her.” 

Kim sighed and shook her head, but she continued smiling. “Never a dull moment at the house.”

“No definitely not. Okay, baby, I think I need to get these two before they wreck the living room. Make sure you eat something, okay?” 

“I will.”

“You better. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Tell Shego and Cali, I love them, too.” Bonnie nodded and the communication was ended.

-8-8-8-8-

“You missed Kim’s phone call,” Bonnie reported, speaking to Shego, who was rolling around on the floor with Cali.

“Damn it, Cali!” Shego then screamed nonsense words, totally frustrated with their pet.

“Cali, precious, can you just let Shego’s shoe go?” Bonnie asked, caressing the cat behind the ears. “Shego’s not playing around with you. You’re actually making her upset and ruining her shoes. So, please, let it go,” she whispered to the feline while continuing to rub her down.

Cali glanced at Bonnie and obviously took in what Bonnie was saying. She released the shoe and quickly put on her best apology face. Shego was not buying it, though.

“Do you know how much these fucking shoes cost?” Shego bellowed at the feline, who kept on her apology-kitty face.

“Uh… Shego, you know Cali has almost no concept of money,” Bonnie reminded her lover.

Shego opened her mouth and raised her hand, ready to argue, but then shut her mouth. “You’re right, but these were Italian leather. Italian leather!”

Bonnie nodded and turned her attention back to their cat. “Cali, you know how we feel about you chewing on our things. If you want chew toys, we can go buy you some, but you can’t keep trying to devour our good shoes.”

Cali nodded to show that she understood and then she wisely slinked away. Shego continued to lament her ruined shoes. Bonnie reached out and caressed her lover’s cheek with the hope of raising her spirits.

“Calm down, sweetheart. You only wore the shoes twice and you said you didn’t like the way they pinched your heel. I think you’re just frustrated because Kimmie’s gone more than anything else,” Bonnie reasoned.

Shego did not deny that. Bonnie smiled and leaned down, resting against the older woman. She then wrapped Shego in her arms and gently ran her fingers through wavy, thick, and soft black hair.

“Remember, you agreed to this. You were all for her going on this trip,” Bonnie pointed out.

Shego settled against Bonnie’s body. “I know. That doesn’t make it any easier. I mean, a day mission is fine, but several days just suck. Nothing against you, Duchess. I love and appreciate you as much as ever, but things just seem off without Kim. It’s weird going to lunch without her and lying in the bed without her. Like I said, it’s nothing against you…”

“I’m not taking it as anything against me. I know what you mean. This is our family and there’s a piece missing from our family. Trust me, I can appreciate that just as much as you.”

Shego laughed a bit. “I guess I wasn’t as prepared for this as I assumed.”

“Or it could just be that you’ve seen your mom over the past two days and she makes you close to having an aneurysm for whatever reason,” Bonnie teased, even though she was sure that was part of Shego’s problem.

Shego groaned loudly. “Oh, god! Why is she even here! Daddy is teaching Kim’s classes, yet I still have to see that woman every freaking day?”

Bonnie chuckled. “I don’t understand this thing with you and your mom. She loves you to bits and all you do is tear her down, which makes her love you more. It’s the craziest thing.”

Snorting, Shego waved that whole thing off. “Don’t try to understand. It’s just the way we are.”

“I know.” Bonnie rubbed Shego’s shoulders.

“But, I really am pissed about the shoes. I love these fucking things, even though they do pinch my heels. They look fantastic on me,” the former sidekick remarked.

“Well, Cali didn’t mean it. She’s just antsy that Kimmie’s gone, too. This is her first time not seeing Kim for consecutive days since she moved in. So, she’s not dealing with it too well. You know you can’t just scream at her, though. You know she’s like a four-year-old child.”

“Now you see why I work with the bigger kids,” Shego joked, smiling a bit.

“This is true. You have to find her and apologize before she starts bringing dead birds in here to apologize to you.”

Shego groaned, knowing how right Bonnie was. Letting her shoe go, she went in search of the feline. Cali was in her “secret place,” which was how she got to Shego’s shoes in the first place. Shego pretended not to know where the cat was, but stood in front of the open closet.

“Cali, where’d you go? I know you’re sorry for what you did and I’m sorry I yelled at you. With Kimmie gone, we’re both not coping too well because it seems like our family is incomplete and everything, which it is. But, Kimmie’s going to come back in a couple of days, so you don’t have to mope around and try to occupy your time with doing stuff that we’ve told you dozens of times not to do. So, I’m not upset with you or anything. I don’t care about the shoes. I just miss Kimmie too,” Shego announced in a loud voice, making it seem like she was not talking to the whimpering mass of kitty flesh in the corner of the closet.

For a few seconds, everything was quiet. And then Cali poked her head out of the closet and Shego looked away, as if she had no idea the cat was there. Cali then rubbed up against Shego’s leg, wanting her attention. Emerald eyes looked down, finding Cali sitting on the floor in her humanoid form.

“Kimmie’s coming back, right?” Cali asked in a low tone.

“Of course she is. It’s only been two days,” Shego pointed out. She wondered if Cali had the same sense of time as a dog, where ten minutes seemed like ten years.

“Soon?” Her eyes were big and hopeful.

Shego nodded. “In two more days. So, just behave until then, okay? She’ll probably bring back a gift and everything.”

Cali nodded and was quickly back to being a cat. Shego looked up in time to see Bonnie smiling at her. She smiled back. They all could not wait for their family to be whole again. Shego and Bonnie were now very thankful Kim had not used her anthropology degree or she would be on trips like this one all the time for a lot longer.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim and Doctor Sobek had split up in the pyramid. They had agreed to catalog different rooms with the hope of getting more done. Kim finished early and decided to go see if Sobek needed help. Moving along, she found the chamber the professor was supposed to be in was empty. Totally empty. 

Professor Sobek was gone as well were the treasures of the room. Kim rushed to the closest exit, hoping he was outside and possibly taking a better look at the few priceless objects that had been in the room. Hearing voices as she neared the way out, she slowed down. The exit was high above her head, requiring her to climb up a rope ladder, which was already there. Something was wrong.

Proceeding with caution, Kim listened first and could only make out arguing. She could hear Doctor Sobek and he did not sound pleased. That was all she needed to know to get moving faster. She was supposed to protect him on this trip along with everything else that she had been doing.

As she got closer to the top, her heart rate increased, but she ignored it. It was probably just the adrenaline, she figured. The voices got louder as the sunlight touched her face, feeling almost burning to her for some reason. It occurred to her that the voices were speaking in Arabic now that she could hear it more clearly. She could pick up some, but she was not fluent at all. Before she emerged, she pulled out her Kimmunicator and turned on the translation application. She only got to hear one thing and that was enough for her, Profess Sobek said, “Put the gun away!” 

“What’s going on here?” Kim demanded as she emerged from the exit, pushing herself up and landing ready for war. She was faced with Professor Sobek a couple of feet away from her, holding a golden, jeweled necklace. Less than a yard from the doctor stood three men, armed with handguns.

The response was the raising of the gun toward Doctor Sobek and lots of shouting in Arabic. Kim moved, wanting to save the professor. Before she could process what was happening, she heard shots and felt a burning sensation through her shoulder and abdomen. Wincing, she stumbled back and before she could react, one of the men ran at her and bashed her across the skull with the butt of his gun. Taking another stumble backwards, she lost her balance and fell, dropping down the way that she had come. The sickening thud of her body hitting the stone floor echoed in her ears before she lost consciousness. 

-8-8-8-8-

Everything was black, smelled of antiseptic, and noise seemed warped, but the sound of outright bawling hit what felt like clogged ears. It almost sounded like Shego… and Ann Possible. Unfortunately, the information did not compute. There was too much distortion for anything actually making it to the brain to make sense. The only thing that came through clear was the burning sensation tearing through everything and causing intense, extreme pain. 

-8-8-8-8-

“I can’t believe this happened. I knew we shouldn’t have let her go! I knew it!” Kim could hear Bonnie’s tearful voice, but it sounded so far away. Slowly, she opened her eyes, wanting to pinpoint where her lover was and what was going on. She wanted to hold Bonnie and reassure her everything would be all right, even though everything hurt. Everything was blurry to the point that she did not know where she was or if there were people in the room or if the room was totally empty.

“Duchess, you need to calm down. She’s all right,” Kim heard Shego respond in a tender tone. She was pretty sure they were discussing her, but she could not figure out what they were talking about. She wanted to open her mouth to respond, but found it impossible. In fact, it hurt her whole body just think about opening her mouth. 

“She’s not all right! She was shot twice!”

“A bullet went clean through her shoulder and the other one just nicked her a bit. Nothing the Princess can’t handle.” 

“Nicked her? Shego, it went through her stomach!” Bonnie sounded almost hysterical.

“It went through her side. It’s nothing she can’t handle,” Shego repeated.

“And the broken bones? Nothing, too?” 

“They’ll heal in time. Right now, we need to be supportive and positive for her. This isn’t going to be an easy time for our little cupcake.”

Kim could only wonder what Shego meant about things not being easy for her. She could feel pain all over her body, so she guessed that she had broken something… a lot of some things. Had they said she was shot, too? Groaning, she could bet that was what they had said.

“Baby?” she heard Bonnie’s voice and there seemed to be a long blur standing over her. She suspected the blur was Bonnie. When another blur came into view, she guessed it was Shego. 

“Princess, how you doing?” Shego asked in a concerned tone.

“We were so worried about you. Do you want us to get your family? Your parents are sitting outside,” Bonnie said. 

“Uh…” Kim forced her mouth open despite the pain. “… Huh?”

“You were in an accident, baby,” Bonnie said and Kim could feel a small hand clutching hers. She squeezed the hand and it squeezed back.

“Acc…” Kim could not even get the word out. Her eyelids drooped and she struggled to keep them open. 

“Go back to sleep, baby. We’ll tell you when you wake up.” 

The hero tried her best to argue, but she could not do it. Falling asleep was the only thing that she could do. Before completely giving in, she mustered a smile for the two blurs standing over her.

-8-8-8-8-

When Kim awoke again, she was much more coherent than before. Her vision was better and she could see Bonnie and Shego sitting by her bed. A small groan from her caught their attention.

“Do you need anything, baby?” Bonnie asked, giving Kim’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Water…” Kim croaked out.

“Here’s some ice chips,” Shego replied quickly, putting a small handful to the hero’s lips. The cool ice felt nice, so Kim took in as many chips as she could.

“Thanks…” Kim whispered. For a moment, her whole mind felt like it was swimming. “Wha… wha… happ’n…?” she managed to ask.

“You had an accident,” Bonnie said.

“In the car?” Kim asked in a groggy tone.

“No, baby, not in the car,” the lawyer replied.

Kim’s brow furrowed and she turned her attention to Shego, thinking she might get more information from the pale woman. “In a fight?” she asked.

“No, sweet pea, it wasn’t a fight,” Shego answered, sounding very similar to Bonnie. The tender tone made Kim suspicious. Something serious had to happen for Shego and Bonnie to have the same worried, gentle tones.

“Then where?”

“You don’t remember what happened?” Shego inquired.

Silence reigned over the room as Kim searched her mind for how she was injured. Things came in bits and pieces, causing her to scrunch up her face. She turned her attention back to them.

“Doctor Sobek was being attacked. Is he all right?” Kim begged. She was supposed to take care of him. If she ended up like this, had she at least done what she was supposed to do? Had she protected him?

Two sets of eyes looking off to the side before Bonnie spoke up, “Baby, we’ll fill you on everything soon. For now, you just need to heal. If you feel up to it, we’ll go get your parents and brothers.”

“Where are they?” Kim asked, glancing around the room.

“Waiting outside because it seemed like the best option. Your dad fainted when he saw you in the bed and your mom couldn’t stop crying,” Shego answered honestly.

“It’s that bad?” Kim’s voice was low. It felt bad. Very bad.

“Well… Bonnie fainted, too,” Shego replied. “… And I cried,” she added honestly. 

Kim nodded for lack of a better thing to do. Her lovers went and retrieved her family. The Possible family, including Kim’s grandmother, charged into the room. Everyone looked as if they expected Kim to be dead.

“Oh, dear, how are you doing?” Anne inquired, rushing to the head of the bed. She took Kim’s hand in hers. James came and stood next to her, putting his hand on Kim’s arm. His mother stood next to him while the twins stood at the foot of the bed, appearing quite confused.

“I’m okay, I guess. Everything hurts, though,” Kim groaned.

“It’s not surprising considering how far you fell,” James replied.

“Fell?” Olive eyes searched everyone for what that meant. She did not remember falling. She just remembered that Professor Sobek was being attacked. She could not recall if she saved him or not.

It was silently decided they would not bring up what happened until Kim was clearer on the subject through her own memories. Until then, they waited for word on her injuries. Thankfully, the bullet wounds were not serious and expected to heal nicely. But, the amount of broken bones made up for any damage the bullets could have done. 

It seemed on reflex, Kim had put her hands out when she fell and tried her best to land upright. She shattered her heel bones and snapped her left fibula and tibia. Both of her wrists were shattered, several fingers were broken, her right elbow had popped out of place, and her left radius was broken. Her several ribs were bruised. Her skull was fractured from a blow to the head that the doctors believed were not related to the fall. Then there was the multiple internal injures. When the doctor made that report, Kim noticed her family and girlfriends looked relieved. She had hated to think what the initial report had been when she was first brought in.

“When can we take her home?” Bonnie asked the doctor after he rattled off all of Kim’s injuries.

“I would like to keep her one more day and then you can take her home. She’s out of the darkness for now, but I just want to be sure,” he answered.

Everyone gave somber nods and Kim was tempted to ask what happened, but did not want to disturb them any further than she obviously had. Instead, she tried to piece together what happened from her own mind. She remembered the attack, remembered the shots, and even remembered falling once she tried hard enough, but nothing beyond that. She was not sure what happened to Professor Sobek or what those men wanted. Actually, she was not totally sure where she was, aside from it being a hospital.

“Uh… are we still in Egypt?” Kim asked.

“No, you were in Egypt for a few days, but then we weren’t sure if the men who did this to you were going to come after you, so we had you moved across the Mediterranean. So, for now, we’re in Greece,” Shego explained.

Kim shook her head. “I don’t think… I don’t think those men were after me.” It felt like she had come between a dispute with the doctor and those men. 

“No, we gathered that too after my mom and dad got on the case,” Shego muttered.

“What?” the redhead asked.

“Come on, Kimmie. Surely, you wondered why my parents weren’t here considering how much they adore you. They’re out looking for the men who did this to you,” Shego pointed out. 

“They’re not…” Kim paused to swallow, but she did not need to continue.

“We spoke to Isabel and Kane. They’re not going to do anything. They’re only going to find them,” Ann chimed in. Isabel and Kane had been as outraged as she and James were over Kim’s injures, but the Go couple had a very different reaction. While all James and Ann wanted to do was get to Kim, Isabel and Kane wanted to find “the bastards who dared touch our daughter-in-law.” Ann and James did not try to stop them. Part of them wished they could have gone with the Go couple and had their own revenge.

“And then what?” Kim asked. 

“Don’t worry about that. When they find those guys, they’ll tell us and we’ll figure out what to do. I’ll tell you right now, a lot of law enforcement agencies weren’t too happy to find out some guys actually assaulted you,” Shego informed her.

“Professor Sobek? What happened to him?” the redhead inquired again.

Suddenly, everyone was looking at each other, as if they were expecting the others to explain what happened. Kim felt her heart drop as she guessed what happened. She had failed the professor.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Kim’s voice was low and disappointed. 

“Very dead. But, it wasn’t your fault, Kimmie. The professor dragged you into his mess and he’s the reason you’re in the shape you’re in,” Shego answered, hoping that would make Kim feel better. Unfortunately, she knew that would not be the case.

“I was supposed to protect him, so how is it not my fault?” Kim begged, eyes wide and daring Shego to lie to her. 

“He was using you because he probably knew those men would come looking for him since they seemed to be after him in the first place. You more than likely were attacked for getting in their way, but they intentionally killed him. We did some deep digging about him after we found out what happened. He never had any plans of letting anyone else in that pyramid, cupcake. He was looting it while he had the chance, before the university sent an actual research team, which is why he wanted you to search separate chambers on those last days,” Shego tried to explain. They had been looking in to the matter ever since they found Kim and dug up a lot of information. All they needed to do was find out who the dead men were that dared to harm Kim.

“But… he seemed so excited. I… I was so excited…” Kim mumbled, licking her dry lips and trying to gather why everything had gone so horribly wrong. 

“He used that against you, baby,” Bonnie said. She and Shego were well aware of how excited Kim was because she had called them the night before, talking about the plan to search and catalogue separate chambers. They remembered her expression the day she left for Egypt, the light in her eyes and the bounce in her step. That bastard Sobek had used their beloved to help him steal priceless treasures and then put her in mortal danger.

Kim wanted to ask more questions, but was much too tired to do so. Her eyelids drifted shut and she was asleep before she knew it. Her last conscious thought was that she had failed.

-8-8-8-8-

“So, what are we going to do about taking Kim home? You two can handle her, right?” Ann asked Bonnie and Shego. Of course, she would check on her daughter constantly, not just as a mother, but a world-renowned surgeon.

“I’ve got my classes covered, using my idiot brothers for now. Stoppable volunteered to do Kim’s morning classes. When my folks get back, they’ll handle it,” Shego answered.

“I’m on vacation for right now. Two weeks,” Bonnie replied. Once again, her boss Charlie Darrow had proven quite understanding of her when she explained that she needed to take an emergency vacation. All she really had to say was “Kim Possible” and “terrible accident” and he was sending her on her way without any notice at all.

“All right, but you two don’t be scared to tell us you need help. We’re all here for you,” James said.

“Including Wade, even though he couldn’t make the trip,” Jim added.

“We know,” Bonnie replied.

“Joss also volunteered to fly in when we get back home to help,” Nana chimed in.

“I’m surprised Joss isn’t here,” the lawyer commented. Joss was still Kim’s number one fan, even though she had that weird period where she was Ron’s number one fan, too.

“Joss was trying, but we told her to just wait until we got back to the States before she made any moves because we weren’t sure how long Kim would be here,” Ann explained. Not to mention, they wanted to spare Joss in case the outcome was as grim as first predicted. 

“I spoke to Ron. He says he’s still stuck in the snow, but figures that by the time we get back, he’ll be back too,” Shego reported.

“He picked a fine time to decide he wanted to try skiing,” Bonnie muttered with a frown, shaking her head. 

“Yori wanted to give it a shot and you know how he is with Yori,” Tim pointed out with a shrug.

Shego and Bonnie nodded. They would take Kim home, but they would get a lot of help from the Possible family in caring for her. The Go family would help out, too, more than likely when they finished with their business. Kim was in good hands.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim smiled as Shego pushed her through the door; Bonnie held the door to their apartment open. Cali rushed out when she heard the door and followed the wheelchair that held Kim. The cat had been warned about jumping on the hero, who was going to be out of commission for two months… if she was lucky. Kim had taken the news oddly, as far as her girlfriends were concerned, anyway. She took the news of being wheelchair-bound for two months like a champ. 

“How do you feel, Kimmie?” Cali asked, bouncing around in her humanoid form. She planned on helping as much as she could too.

“I’m okay,” Kim replied with another smile. She had been smiling a lot for someone just out of the hospital. 

“I’m going to wheel you into the bedroom and put you in the bed, okay?” Shego proposed. 

“No, please, put me on the couch. I’ve been lying down for so long in a bed,” the redhead somewhat complained.

Shego complied while Bonnie went to start on a late lunch for them. Shego made sure Kim was comfortable and sent Cali off to fetch some pillows for the injured woman. Again, Kim was all smiles and “thank yous.” Shego arched an eyebrow to her behavior, but did not say anything about it. There was too much else to do for the moment.

“Shego, do you think you could tell me what happened to the professor now?” Kim requested. They still refused to tell her the full story when she was laid up in the hospital.

“Let’s wait for the Duchess. I might not be able to get it all out, so I might need her to fill in what I can’t,” Shego replied. 

Kim nodded and Shego lingered for a second, searching olive eyes for something more than what she was getting. Kim was too calm and collected over things. It was not right, but Shego was not sure what was not right about it. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Duchess, do you think Kim’s all right?” Shego asked in a low voice, standing in the kitchen and watching Bonnie prepare their dinner.

“She said she’s fine,” Bonnie replied. 

“She’s been saying that for everything and acting like that for everything. Doesn’t it seem a little weird?”

“I think she’s in shock. The best we can do is be there for her until she’s ready to come out of it,” Bonnie reasoned. 

Shego shrugged, figuring that was a good response. “She wants us to tell her what happened to the professor.”

“Has Wade called with all of the information yet?”

“He’s got most of it. He and my parents are still looking for the assholes that did this. My mom says it was properly some black market dealers the professor had probably pissed off in the past or guys that he called to sell those artifacts to and they double-crossed him. It could be a combination of both. Doesn’t help that the guy had gambling problems. It could’ve been goons hired by his bookie or something.”

Bonnie sighed and leaned against the counter for a moment. “I’m sure your parents will get them. They’re not going to hurt them, are they?”

Shego scratched her head. “I don’t know. My parents are overprotective, you know? They see you and Kimmie as their daughters as much as they see me. I can tell you, from what I know, my parents are going to make them suffer. A lot.”

Bonnie faced Shego and searched her face for a second. “Kill them?”

“No, not kill them. That would mean the suffering stops. It’s like when my mother found out that Drakken purposely tried to kill me. He’s still alive, but I’m sure he wishes he wasn’t,” Shego explained. 

Bonnie nodded, even though she did not understand it much. Parental love was not something that she had grown up with, so parents going to extreme degrees for their children was not something she was very familiar with until recently. She had to admit, she could not have picked two better families to “marry” into.

“Anything else?” Bonnie asked, turning her attention back to the meal. 

“What are we going to tell the baby?” Shego remarked, smiling a little to keep from showing how worried she was about Kim.

“We tell the baby what we know happened with the professor. I don’t want her to beat herself up over this when he was the one that put her in danger. He almost got her killed. He almost cost us…” Bonnie sniffled, gripped the countertop again, and began crying.

Shego quickly took Bonnie into her arms and gently rocked her. “Shh, Duchess. It’s all right. Everything is all right. She’s here with us and she’ll get back to normal. We’re stronger than this, honey. So much stronger,” she promised.

“I was so scared when Wade called. So scared. Shego, she gave me a reason to be myself. She made me who I am today. What would I have done without her?” Bonnie cried, holding Shego tightly around the waist. 

“Shh, Duchess. I know. I know. You don’t have to find out the answers to that question, though. She’s here and she’s going to heal. You’ll see. Three months from now, we won’t even remember she was hurt.”

Bonnie shook her head and began shaking. “I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget her all bandaged up. I’ll never forget not knowing if she was going to live or die. Those feelings will always be there and I’ll be haunted by those memories. Why can’t we just have a normal life? Why can’t we just be normal?” she begged, sounding terrified and lost.

Shego kissed the side of her head. “I’m sorry we make you crazy like this, honey. You know we don’t mean it.”

“I know. I just worry. I don’t want to lose either of you. I want to grow old with you two. I want to us to be a family for a good long time. Hell, maybe even have a kid or two,” Bonnie said, forcing out a smile.

Shego let out a surprised exhale. _Bonnie wants to have kids?_ To Shego, having kids was even more important than being in a committed relationship or a marriage. People in her family, they bonded with mates for life most of the time, but they bonded with their offspring in a way she could not even explain and to have kids with someone was beyond marriage, beyond mating, just beyond. 

“Kids, huh? Can’t say I ever thought of that,” Shego whispered. It was somewhat a lie, but in the sense that she never considered kids mostly because of her former criminal lifestyle and being a hedonist for the most part. Now that it was out there, it would definitely be on her mind. “But, love, I promise you, Kimmie and I will do better. We’ll talk to Kim later, but you know this one wasn’t her fault. Even if she didn’t do missions, she would’ve leaped at the chance to do this.”

“I know. I know. I was just so scared.” Bonnie’s voice shook. 

Shego held her tighter. “That’s a normal reaction, sweetie. I was scared, too. You saw me breakdown. It’s all right.”

Bonnie nodded, but continued to cry. Shego suspected Bonnie was releasing frustration and anxiety more than anything and let her cry. She then quietly helped with dinner, only leaving to check on Kim. Cali, still in her human form, kept Kim entertained. Dinner was ready fairly quickly.

“Can I help? Can I help?” Cali asked Shego as she came to put Kim back in her wheelchair.

“Not right now, but I’ll show you how to pick Kim up and everything to make sure you’re not hurting her, okay?” Shego proposed, knowing Cali was just as anxious as the rest of them, so she was not looking add to that anxiety in anyway. 

“Okay,” Cali replied with a nod, following her humans to the table. There was a place set for her since she seemed keen on staying in her hated other form. She looked down at the plate, recognizing the food, but not sure how to use the utensils.

“You know, I like that one of you has to feed me and everything, but I can’t wait until I can use my hands again,” Kim remarked, smiling again.

Shego ground her teeth together to prevent herself from saying anything about the smile. Bonnie moved to her seat next to Kim. She was going to feed the hero tonight. 

“So, we figured we’d tell you about what happened to the professor now,” Shego announced.

“Oh… okay…” Kim nodded.

Shego took a deep breath. “Okay, so here’s the deal and all of the information that we know so far. Professor Sobek had actually been skating on thin ice at his school like he claimed, but it was for more than not being published. He had gambling problems. The man liked the poker and blackjack tables a lot more than he should. The university had reason to believe he was stealing artifacts and selling them on the black market to fund his addiction. At that point, they stopped allowing him on digs, but he had been there when they discovered that pyramid.”

“So… why were we at the pyramid if he wasn’t authorized to dig there?” Kim asked with a scrunched up face.

“He was raiding that tomb, Kimmie. He had lucked out on the last dig that he was allowed on and stumbled across that pyramid. He didn’t think anything of it at first, but when he got back home and couldn’t give up the tables, he needed money. He needed a lot of money, Kimmie.” 

“How much is a lot?” the redhead inquired.

“Let’s just say when I saw the figure, I whistled and Bonnie’s eyes literally fell out of her head. Cali chased ’em around the house,” Shego remarked, forcing out a laugh.

“He was just in over his head, baby, and he dragged you in head first. He decided to beat the university to the pyramid to take what he could before anyone could catalogue it, so they’d never know what was missing, which was why he had you go into other chambers. You could catalogue some things, but he would not catalogue anything he actually found,” Bonnie chimed in.

“Wait, he was looting that tomb?” Kim did not seem to be following, in sheer disbelief over this. 

“We’re assuming that the men who attacked you were the men he planned to sell the items to. When you were found, there were a couple of artifacts around you, but the Egyptian authorities are sure there were more. A couple of the chambers in the pyramid were empty when it was explored,” Bonnie continued.

“How did you guys even find me? That pyramid was in a remote piece of desert,” Kim pointed out. 

Turquoise eyes glanced away guiltily. “That would be my fault,” Bonnie admitted.

“I wouldn’t call it a fault, baby,” the redhead replied. 

“No, but it was somewhat of an invasion of your privacy. I asked Wade to put a monitor on your Kimmunicator. It monitors your body temperature and heart rhyme if it’s close enough. Once those drop, he’s alerted and I’m alerted,” Bonnie explained.

Kim nodded and swallowed slowly. “You saved my life, baby,” she whispered.

“It was nothing you wouldn’t have or haven’t done for me. Now, promise me you’re not going to let this thing with the professor bother you. He’s the one that failed you, not the other way around. He took advantage of you. His greed and addiction hurt you, hurt your family, hurt us, so promise me you won’t let this bother you,” Bonnie implored the petite hero.

There was a nod from Kim and her family lightly embraced her, silently letting her know that they were there for her. Tears slid down olive eyes. Silently, Kim vowed to make it through everything — the guilt, the pain, the fact that she had been taken advantage of, and she would come back as strong as ever. If not, stronger.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Joss shows up and Kim has to cope with her injuries.


	4. Psychology 101 — How to Stop Living in Your Own Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters, except for Cali, Isabel, and Kane.
> 
> A/N: This chapter is smaller than usual and I think any follow up chapters will be about this length.

4: Psychology 101 — How to Stop Living in Your Own Head

The sofa was evil, Kim was sure of it. Well, not so much evil as it was trying to devour her. The bed was doing the same and that had to mean evil. It had to be evil to try to devour a hero, after all. Nothing good would try such a thing. 

She now preferred the floor. She spent so much time lying down that she actually hated the feel of cushions molding to her body. She seriously thought they were trying to consume her, slowly swallow her.

The floor was much safer. It was steady and firm. It did not bend. The floor was how she used to be, Kim thought. _I was steady and firm and unbreakable. Now, I’m an invalid and can’t do the most basic things on my own. How the mighty have fallen_. The voice in her head could not have been bitterer if she tried.

“Kim, do you need anything?” Joss inquired. It sounded like she was in the kitchen.

The voice made Kim want to growl. She was sick of hearing her cousin’s voice. She sick of her cousin’s presence. _I don’t need her here!_ Kim mentally insisted. _Oh, yes, you do. After all, you can’t even stand up. Hell, you can’t scratch the end of your nose_. The voice in her head made the redhead frown. _Shut up! I can do anything!_

“Kim?” Joss repeated, making her cousin grit her teeth.

The injured hero had to take a deep breath before responding. “I’m good,” she answered from her space on the floor in the living room.

Shego and Bonnie had set her up a little nest of pillows and blankets on the floor after she complained about being on the sofa. She made sure not to sound too upset when she did it, but it was difficult to keep her composure. She had smiled in their faces all the way through and, even though they had eyed her oddly, neither said anything. Maybe they knew the sofa was evil and trying to devour her.

“You sure?” Joss asked, interrupting the redhead’s thoughts.

 _Shit, can’t she shut the hell up for two seconds?_ Kim hissed mentally. “I’m sure,” she answered pleasantly. _I’m always sure! I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t sure. I don’t need to be asked a million times like I’m some child_.

Kim hoped her cousin believed her and did not come into the living room. She was tired of seeing people, tired of seeing faces. She wanted to be left alone! Of course, that was impossible thanks to her injuries. She had never been so injured. With the way everyone acted, she was almost willing to believe no one had ever been as injured as she was _. But, I still want them to leave me the hell alone!_

 _Why should they, Kim? It’s not like you can do anything for yourself. You need them and now they know how weak you truly are. You are weak, Kimmie. Extremely weak and they all know it_. Kim shook her head, sick of her brain mocking her. _I could fix it if they would just leave me alone. I know I could. I can do anything. I can do anything_. She _needed_ to believe that.

“Kimmie!” Cali flopped down next to her. While in her humanoid form, Cali still did plenty of animal things, like dropping to the floor and lying in a very canine-sort-of way. “Joss told me to make sure you didn’t need anything. Do you need anything? Because if you do, I can get it! I can really get it!” She smiled up at Kim.

Kim forced out a smile, even though she really wanted to scream at Cali. The feline was getting on her nerves just as much as everyone else. No, she did not want anything! If she wanted something, she would get up and get it herself! Well, of course, if she could move, she would get up and get things herself.

“Are you sure you don’t anything? Oh, I could carry you to the bathroom like Shego does! Could I do that? I could do that!” Cali offered with a brilliant grin on her face.

Kim had to take a deep breath before answering. “Cali, I don’t need anything. Could you please just let me sit here and chill out?” she replied in a composed, controlled manner.

Cali eagerly nodded. “Oh, yeah, I can do that!”

The redhead sighed and could not believe how happy she was when Cali just stopped talking. She would have felt better if Cali had gone away, but she supposed she could not have everything. Matters were only made worse as Joss came in and sat down. Kim clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.

“I can’t believe I waited this long to come here. This house is awesome. How ya feelin’, cousin?” Joss inquired.

“I’m fine,” Kim lied. She would be fine if everyone just left her alone. _Then I can figure something out, like how to get back on my feet!_

“You sure? I mean, I sent Cali in here to check and all, but it looks like she’s taking a nap,” Joss commented, nudging the cat-girl with her foot.

“Hey, I’m not sleeping! I’m taking care of my Kimmie!” Cali proclaimed like a proud child with her head held high.

Kim rolled her eyes. She could not believe it, but she actually missed Shego and Bonnie as caregivers. Shego and Bonnie, who hovered like freaking helicopters and would not give her a minute’s peace. She would rather have them in her face for the whole day rather than have Joss and Cali as babysitters. They were like freaking Frick and Frack.

“I’m helping, right, Kimmie?” Cali asked with a bright grin.

“Yes, you’re helping,” Kim replied, trying her best to pick her hand with the intent to pet Cali. The pain was too much. Kim almost wanted to growl, but she held it in. She took a deep breath and then smiled.

“I still can’t believe you guys have a cat that turns into a woman and Wade didn’t have anything to do with making her,” Joss commented with a light laugh.

Kim did not say anything. She was sick of Joss talking about Cali. Yes, Cali was interesting and everything, but she was tired of hearing about her. To be fair, she was tired of hearing about everything. Not to mention she was tired of looking around the living room and the bedroom and the house in general. Then there were the people in the house. _I’m so sick of them!_

 _Oh, really? You sure about that, Possible?_ Underneath it all, Kim knew she was just cranky and disappointed in herself. She was not meant to sit around the house all day, especially for the time she had been. She was trapped thanks to her own body and faults. She should have been able to do something, to save Professor Sobek, even if he was being dishonest. She should have been able to stop the men who killed him and the men that practically destroyed her.

Frowning, she thought about how she let some petty thugs almost kill her. She could not fend off punks! She was Kim Possible. She had saved the world more times than she could count and laughed in the face of danger so much that some people actually thought she was insane… and yet, she had almost given up the ghost thanks to some creeps who she could not even remember.

No matter how long and hard she thought about it, Kim could not recall what her assailants looked like. She could not recollect how many there were. Even if there had been a thousand, they were still just regular jerks and they had almost killed her. It was like a cosmic joke! _And the universe is laughing long and hard! Laughing at me._

Kim was about to growl, but the sound only made it to rumble in her chest. Cali’s head was up like a lion surveying her territory and her attention went right to Kim. The smile on Kim’s face was automatic and soothed Cali instantly. The cat-girl put her head back down and Kim tried her best not to get lost in her own head for the millionth time that day. Taking a deep breath, she pushed all of her emotions down and just continued to smile.

 _Yeah, Possible, keep smiling and faking like you’re still strong when it’s clear you’re weak_.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego groaned as her cell phone went off. “I hate this damn thing,” she grumbled as she retrieved the phone from her pocket.

Bonnie had forced her to carry the thing everywhere she went since “the incident” with Kim. And, yes, they actually referred to Kim almost dying as “the incident with Kim” and nothing more. It was more for their benefit than anyone else’s.

“Yeah, Mommy?” Shego answered her phone.

“Hey, firefly,” Isabel greeted her daughter cheerfully. There was a lot of noise in the background. “How are you and my other two darling daughters doing?”

Shego rolled her eyes. “Same as always. I’m picking up some of Kim’s pain medication. What the hell is that noise in the back?” she inquired, not wincing as a scream echoed through the phone. She glanced around at the pharmacy to make sure no one else heard. Thankfully, she was by herself while waiting for the prescriptions to be filled. Of course, after the prescription was filled, she had to hope the cops did not pick her up for “intent to distribute” considering the amount of pain meds her poor princess had to take.

“That’s just your father. He’s talking to someone,” Isabel replied lightly.

Shego chuckled slightly. “Talking to his kneecaps, I’ll bet.”

“Perhaps. He’s one of the men that touched your redheaded pixie, you know,” Isabel reported. Her tone just sounded like she was smiling… in the same manner that a crocodile smiled. 

“And you want me to tell you what I want done to them?” Shego guessed. The list was so long.

“It would make my day better,” Isabel practically chirped.

Shego thought on it for a long moment. “I don’t think that’s up to me, Mommy. I mean, whatever you and Daddy have already done is probably what I’d like.”

“That’s true. What about Bonnie? Is Bonnie with you?”

“No, Bonnie had to go up to her office today. I’m going to go pick her up in a little while, actually. I think this is something we should discuss with Kimmie. This is her call. Maybe I should have her parents there, too,” Shego considered. “I’ll have to run it by her.”

“My, sounds like you are taking well to being a spouse, thinking not only of your women, but the parents as well. I’m proud of you, firefly.”

“Shut up, Mommy. I’m not a spouse. I’m just a girlfriend. Stop trying to marry me off.”

“Well, it would be nice you all did get married. I would love some grandbabies!” Isabel chirped.

“Shut up, Mommy. I’ll call you back when I get home,” Shego huffed and ended the call. Sighing, she scratched her forehead and thought about getting home as soon as possible. She turned her attention back to the counter that she was in front of. “Hey, could I get my stuff sometime today? It’s not like the pain’ll get easier to deal the longer you take!”

It took all of her willpower to not hop over the counter and get the drugs herself. She yanked the white bag from the pharmacist and ran out of the store. As she went to her car, she dialed Bonnie’s number and told her to make sure to be ready to leave in fifteen minutes. Bonnie was waiting for her when she got to the firm.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Bonnie greeted her and leaned in for a kiss. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

Shego waved that off. “You act like I would’ve left you. I got all of Princess’ meds. She’s going be pissed when we force her to take these.”

“She’s always pissed about it, but she’s going to take them. I’m not just doing to sit there and watch her suffer when she doesn’t need to,” Bonnie declared.

“I know you’re not, Duchess,” Shego replied, taking Bonnie’s hand in her own. They had gotten into the habit of holding hands when they were in the car, as if needing the physical reminder they were there. She caressed Bonnie’s hand with her thumb. “My mom called me earlier.”

“Oh? Why was she calling? Are she and Kane coming back yet?” Bonnie asked, glancing at Shego.

“Well, probably. For right now, she was calling to let me know that she and Daddy caught the jackasses that touched the baby. She wanted me to tell her what she should do with them.”

Bonnie studied her for a moment, squinting in thought. “And what did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything beyond I needed to talk to you and Pumpkin and maybe the Possibles. Besides, they probably did everything I’d tell them to do,” Shego informed her lover with a shrug.

Bonnie nodded. “What do you think they did?”

“They more than likely mirrored all of Kim’s injuries and when those started to heal, they probably just hurt them more,” Shego reported as if it was nothing. To her, it was nothing and she was sure that it would be the same for Bonnie. 

“Will they kill these guys?”

“No, I told you, my parents like to make people suffer for hurting their children. Death isn’t suffering.”

“Right.” Bonnie nodded and then sighed. “You know Kim and her parents are just going to say something like they should go to jail. Hell, Kim might even say they should have a fair trial. What do you think about that?”

Shego was silent for a moment and that gave Bonnie a chance to absorb the information she had just been told. She felt like she should feel something beyond elation that there were men being beaten by essentially her in-laws. Kim would be disappointed in her if she knew, but Bonnie still could not bring up the emotions she felt a good person should have. She was happy that Isabel and Kane were hurting those men. 

“I hate to say it, but my parents will probably try to honor whatever the hell Kim and her parents come up with, but if they think it’s unreasonable, they’ll actually ignore it. They will then lie, extremely well, about what they did do. We might never know the truth,” Shego explained.

“So, they could say that they’ll get them put in jail, but what?” Bonnie asked.

“It’s not so much about putting them in jail. My parents don’t have a problem with that. It’s just you have to be specific sometimes. So, if Kim wants the bad guys in jail, my mother and father will put them there. But, the jail might be in, say, Russia, where my mother can get people to continue punishment for as long as she wants. Now, that she wouldn’t tell us about.” Unless, of course, Shego asked. Every now and then, she found herself asking about Drakken and her mother would give her some vague response that let Shego know the guy was still alive at the least.

Bonnie nodded. “Honestly, I don’t very much care. They could drop those guys into the middle of the Atlantic for all I care,” she growled.

“Agreed.” 

Blue eyes drifted out the window of the car for a moment. Bonnie took a deep breath and Shego glanced at her. She squeezed the younger woman’s hand.

“Duchess, what’s wrong?” Shego inquired.

“I should feel worse about the idea that your parents are beating people up, possibly torturing them, but I don’t. I don’t care. I truly don’t care, not one single bit,” Bonnie muttered and then she turned back to her lover. “What does that make me?” Her lip trembled. 

“Makes you pissed off, rightfully so. These men dared to almost take your first love from you, the woman who made you who are today, the woman that showed you that you are worthy of love. And why? For money! They almost killed Kim for fucking money!” Shego roared, obviously rightfully pissed off, too.

Slowly, Bonnie nodded. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. Shouldn’t that be enough to get those guys in jail? They robbed a four thousand year old tomb and almost killed Kim. Shouldn’t that be enough?” 

Shego sighed and shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t be enough. Most of the loot’s on the market now, babe. It’s gone. Kim doesn’t even remember who they were or what they looked like. That’s not even enough to get them a bus ride to a precinct. We have better odds of lightning striking them all at the same time than them going to jail for their actual crimes.”

“Point taken.” 

“Listen to me, Duchess, don’t think about these guys. They’re bugs. Lower than bugs. Bacteria. Do you spend your time thinking about bacteria?”

“At the moment, yes, because I’m worried my baby is going to get an infection, but in general, no. I understand what you’re saying, sweetheart, and I appreciate the effort.” Bonnie smiled.

“Focus on Kimmie. She’s the one that needs it. Focus on our family.”

Again, Bonnie nodded because Shego had a point. She squeezed Shego’s hand and smiled at the older woman, wanting Shego to know that she was appreciated. Shego was the one that was really holding their family together in the past month. She knew it had to be an incredible burden, but she could not yet get herself together enough to lighten the load.

When they arrived home, they were ready to go straight to Kim. They worried about leaving her side, even if she had Joss and Cali home with her. She was still basically immobile and they knew she did not sleep well. They were also still concerned about the fact that Kim just could not stop smiling at people. They knew she was not handling her injuries as best she could, but she refused to talk about what was on her mind. She just kept smiling, unaware that the light was out of her eyes. 

They barely got in the door before Cali was in their faces. The cat-girl looked like she was about to burst into tears, so the two women knew she had important information. She was babbling and moving quickly back and forth in front of them. They held up their hands and then gently motioned for her to lean forward. Cali knew the tactic and moved in.

“Crying! I smelled the tears!” Cali reported in a very low, but incredibly panicked tone. She had to speak through clenched teeth to make sure she did not scream. “Jossie went out to jog and I went out for birds and when I came back in, I smelled tears!” 

“Shh, calm down, Cali. Calm down,” Bonnie urged her, scratching behind Cali’s ear.

“I smelled the tears on Kimmie again. I smelled it and came in, but she wasn’t crying, but I could smell them,” Cali told them, still very anxious. 

“It’s okay, Cali. It’s okay. It’s good that Kim’s crying. She needs the emotional release,” Shego said.

Cali’s brow wrinkled. “Emotional release?”

“It’s just that Kimmie’s been bottling up things. She needs to cry, so if you ever smell tears with her again, just leave her to cry. She needs it,” Shego explained. It was good to know that every now and then, Kim had cried a little. That was a lot more normal than her smiling constantly. Plus, she needed to let something out, no matter how small, if only to help her actually cope with her injuries and what happened. Every little bit helped. 

Cali nodded, even though they knew she did not understand. She thought crying was a bad thing. After all, she only cried when she was sad or hurt. But, Shego said was good and Bonnie did not dispute that. Cali just trusted her humans. So, she straightened up with a deep breath and walked away, calm and collected now. Shego and Bonnie sighed.

“I’m actually happy to know she’s crying. This day just gets stranger and stranger. I’m glad people are getting beat up and I’m glad my baby is crying,” Bonnie said, rubbing her forehead.

“It’s okay, Duchess. You’ve got the right feelings,” Shego assured her lover, rubbing the lawyer’s shoulder for a moment.

“I know you’re right. Sweetheart, I’m sorry for being such deadweight to you,” Bonnie said.

Shego put her arm around the smaller woman. “You’re not deadweight. Look, Bonnie, you’re dealing with this as best you can. You know you can lean on me and you’re willing to talk about it.”

“In other words, I’m doing better than the baby.” Bonnie nodded toward the living room.

The former thief nodded. “Way better than the baby, who’s just going crazy in her own head. I wish she would lean on us.”

“We just need to keep encouraging her.”

Shego nodded and they journeyed into the living room. Kim was in her little nest with her head down, lost in her own thoughts as usual. She often got that way when she thought she was alone and they had yet to figure out how to get her to talk about what was happening. She would always just smile and say she was fine, no matter how much they tried to assure her it was all right to talk to them.

“Hey, Pumpkin, I got your meds and your baby,” Shego announced, her arm around Bonnie’s waist.

Kim straightened and turned her attention to the pair. “I want my baby,” she said with a smile.

“And your pain medication,” Bonnie said in stern voice.

“I don’t need it. I’m not in a lot of pain,” Kim replied.

“Yeah, a lot by whose standards? You’re taking the meds, Possible. I also have your antibiotics and everything,” Shego said.

Kim was obstinate about taking her medication, as always. She went so far as to pull her lips into her mouth and duck her head to keep Shego from putting the pills in her mouth. Eventually, she did have to open her mouth and she was given the pills along with some water. Shego then patted Kim on the head just to be annoying, which worked, of course. Shego figured Kim appreciated the normalcy of her being troublesome, but Kim actually just felt bothered and resentful by it.

“How are you doing, baby?” Bonnie asked before she could stop herself. She knew Kim hated the question, but she seriously needed to know. Of course, she was not going to get an honest answer, so it was actually moot.

“I’m fine, baby,” Kim answered with a smile. Of course, if she were actually fine, she would have requested kisses for her greeting, but that thought did not even cross her mind. Her lovers were more focused on other things than to always remember to give Kim kisses. They tended to be more focused on giving her medication.

“Do you need anything?” Shego asked.

The redhead looked like she was about to snap, but suddenly she flinched. She tilted her head to the side and gritted her teeth. Honestly, she was about to scream that she “did not need a motherfucking thing!” Thankfully, she caught herself and smiled sweetly at her girlfriends. 

“I don’t need anything, love,” Kim replied. Her tone was so saccharine that she felt like she would get diabetes from it.

Shego sighed and slid down to sit with Kim in her nest. Bonnie did the same and she had to fight off the urge to cuddle into Kim. She missed the snuggling; Shego did, too. Bonnie reached out and stroked Kim’s neck. It was the closest she could come cuddling with the redhead for the past month. Shego did something similar, gently running her fingers along Kim’s hip. 

“My parents called me earlier, Princess,” Shego announced.

“Oh, are they back in Middleton?” Kim asked, not that she really cared. Isabel and Kane were probably going to try to come and see her. Then, they would bear witness to her weakness too, just like everyone else. The thought made Kim want to grind her teeth, but she could not do that in front of her lovers. After all, her annoyance would be a burden to her girlfriends and she did not want to be more of a burden.

“Baby, her parents… they… found the guys that did this to you,” Bonnie replied, motioning to casts and bandages that Kim was wrapped in.

Kim blinked in surprise. “Found them? That’s great.”

Shego glanced at Bonnie and they did that communicating thing with their eyes that Kim hated. It was like they were having an argument that she could never follow. Any other time they did it, she knew what was going on, but when they were debating, she was lost. Of course, they knew that and that was why they did it. In the end, whatever was going on, it seemed that Bonnie won.

Sighing, Shego looked away for a second. “They want us to call them and tell them what we want to happen to the guys.”

Kim looked even more baffled. “Tell them what we want? What do you mean? Shouldn’t they be going to jail?”

“Jail it is,” Bonnie said, smiling at Shego.

Shego threw up her arms and shrugged. Instead of making the call, she shot a text to her mother. Barely three seconds later, her phone rang.

“Yeah, Mommy?” Shego answered the call.

“Was this Kim’s request?” Isabel asked.

“Yes.” 

“Can you put her on? I want to speak with her and Bonnie if she’s there,” Isabel requested.

Shego shrugged and put the phone to Kim’s ear. “Mommy wants to talk to you,” the eldest informed Kim.

“I could hold the phone,” Kim huffed, forcing her hand up to take the phone. Her lovers expected a wince, but none came. The pain medication was definitely working or Kim was a grand actor. “Hi, Isabel.” 

“Hey, Kim. Is my daughter treating you properly?”

Kim glanced at Shego before answering, “Of course. She always takes the best care of us.” 

“That’s because you take the best care of her. I’m indebted to you in that regard. I’m sorry Kane and I haven’t been up to see you lately, but that’ll change.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to…” Kim argued. Truly, she hated people seeing her incapacitated and weak. She did not want anyone to see the evidence of her incompetence or inability. Of course, she was the only with that opinion, it seemed, as people continued to show up at the house, trying to cheer her up. 

“It’s all right, dear. I understand. We are alike in that regard. Shego would understand too if you told her. They both would understand if you talk to them. They love you, Kim,” Isabel said.

“I know they do.” 

“They’re your family. If you were in their shoes, what would you want?” Isabel asked.

“That makes sense.”

“Listen to me, Kim. Once upon a time, I was depressed beyond comprehension. Looking back on it now, it almost feels like a dream or something that happened to someone else. I was in a fog for a year, not realizing I had people to lean on and that being strong did not mean carrying the load myself. It was in this haze I nearly lost everything. Hell, my relationship with my daughter has never been the same. I don’t want that for you. I don’t want you to allow this thing to come between you and your loves. You’re stronger than that and they’ll help you be stronger still.”

Kim could not stop a whimper from escaping her throat and she sniffled. “I’m trying,” she whispered, glancing between her girlfriends. 

“They’re there for you, Kim. I’m rooting for you, all of you. Kane is, too. I’d put him on the phone, but he’s otherwise engaged. He’ll have gifts for you all when we get back, though. Now, may I speak with Bonnie?” Isabel requested.

“Of course.” 

“And, Kim, darling, please, do try. They want to be there for you. Let them.”

Kim sniffled. “I will,” her voice cracked, which earned her curious looks from her girlfriends. She then passed the phone over to Bonnie. “Isabel wants to talk to you.” 

Bonnie accepted the phone and spoke with Isabel briefly. She then handed the phone back to Shego. Isabel was still there and she spoke with Shego again very briefly. The call was disconnected and Shego just dropped the phone on the floor with a sigh. They were silent for a long time before Cali wandered in, back in her cat form. Cali cuddled into Bonnie’s thigh.

“This is our little family…” Bonnie muttered, caressing Cali’s back. The cat purred contently. “I don’t… I don’t… want anything to happen to our family…” she sniffled. This was the only family she had.

“Duchess, nothing is going to happen. We’re all here and everything is fine,” Shego tried to assure Bonnie, reaching out to rub Bonnie’s back for a moment. 

Biting her lip, Bonnie could only shake her head. Everything was not fine! They all knew that and she was doubtful that anything would ever be fine again. They had nearly lost Kim a month ago and in a way they had. Kim was not the same person. Her smile was forced, her eyes did not shine anymore, and she spent more time in her own head than anywhere else. No, their family was broken!

“I don’t know…” Tears slid down Bonnie’s cheeks. She wished she could articulate her concerns better, but the emotion just choked her up every time. 

Kim bit the corner of her mouth and grabbed Bonnie’s hand with her own. She squeezed, almost to the point of hurting Bonnie. The tanned woman turned her eyes up to Kim’s face and saw tears welling up in olive eyes.

“Baby, please don’t cry. I hate it when you cry. I hate it when I make you cry,” Kim implored in a low tone. 

“I can’t help it. It’s not your fault. It’s those bastards! They hurt you and they’ve hurt our family!” Bonnie cried.

“No, they haven’t hurt our family. This is my fault. I just don’t know what to do, loves. I don’t know how to recover from this,” Kim admitted, her tears starting to flow now, too. 

“You lean on us, Princess. That’s how you recover from this. You tell us what’s going on in your head, you reach for us when you need to be picked up, and you tell us if you need something. Suffering with this all alone isn’t the way to do it. Being strong is letting us in,” Shego stated, reaching out and gently taking Kim’s other hand in hers. The older woman sniffled a bit herself. 

“I… I… wanna …” Kim sniffed.

“Baby, please, lean on us. Lean on us,” Bonnie implored her.

“I don’t know how,” Kim wept. “I don’t know how to get out of this mood I’m in. I’m so sick of everyone and of everything. I want to get up and move. I want to be me and I can’t! I’m so frustrated and so angry! They beat me! Kim Possible was beaten by some worthless thugs!” 

“No, no, no, Princess, they didn’t beat you. You are not beaten,” Shego assured her, moving and nuzzling her face in Kim’s neck. The hero’s neck was just about the only place they could safely touch her aside from her face.

“The only way they win is if you don’t bounce back, if you let them break you and us,” Bonnie asserted. “You would never do that, though. I know you, baby. You would never let them win.” 

Kim nodded. “What should I do?” Her lip trembled as she spoke.

“You’re doing good right now, baby. You’re talking to us and you’re letting it out. Let it out, please,” Bonnie implored. 

“I’m trying. I really am,” the redhead insisted.

“We all need to try. Now, tell us what you need, Princess. Be honest. What do you need?” Shego inquired, her eyes pleading for honesty. “What do you need from us to help you get better?”

“I think I need time alone every now and then. I don’t need you guys here with me every second of every day. I just need some time to myself, to not feel like I’m a baby,” Kim answered.

“That’s fair. We’ll back off and we’ll tell Joss to back off some, too. Just understand that we can’t leave you alone all day,” Shego replied. 

“But, you have to stop fighting us so much because you’re stressing yourself out,” Bonnie chimed in. “It’s not good for your healing.”

Kim sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to handle this.” She looked down at herself and frowned.

“Baby, we are here for you. We are here,” Bonnie said. 

Kim nodded and, for a moment, she actually felt worse. She felt selfish and shameful, forgetting about her family and resenting their concern. She had spent too much time focusing on herself and what she had gone through rather than what she had. Even though it hurt to blink much of the time, she was lucky. She had a beautiful, supportive family, especially the ones snuggled against her now.

“I promise to do better,” Kim said in a low voice. The vow brought a smile to her lovers’ faces. 

-8-8-8-8-

Shego and Bonnie lay in the bed together as they had for the past month. Kim slept in her nest; Cali kept her company. Kim had explained to them earlier why she preferred the living room nest, which both of her lovers were grateful for. They had been worried about her not wanting to be in the bed, but now that they knew it was just driving her crazy they felt better. Still, they both could not wait for Kim to be back in the bed with them. 

“You think the baby is gonna be okay?” Bonnie asked, snuggling into Shego’s warm body.

“I think Princess is going to be fine. I think really once her body starts to heal, her mind will as well. She’s the sort that needs to be moving to figure herself out. Sort of like I’m the type that needs to be sitting still to figure myself out,” Shego answered.

“I was glad… I was glad she opened up to us. I’ve been worried about her, especially when I had to go back to work. I felt like I needed to watch her every second of the day and then suddenly I couldn’t …”

“Watching her was more for you, Duchess. You felt like if you couldn’t see her, then she wasn’t there. You have to remember just like we told Kim: they didn’t beat her. She’s here. She’s safe.”

“Thank you, Shego, for being so strong.”

Shego shook her head. “Believe it or not, this is learned behavior. I learned this from my dad.”

“How so?” 

The room was silent for a moment. Shego pulled Bonnie a little closer and took a deep breath. She then made sure to look Bonnie right in the eye as she spoke. 

“My mother… after Matteo and before the twins, she was pregnant. My mother had to be the most fertile woman on the planet actually. It seemed like she was always pregnant. Anyway, we almost had a brother, Azrael.” Shego paused to laugh. “We were gonna call him Azzie …” She sniffled and a tear drifted down her cheek. It was the first time that she mentioned this brother.

“What happened?” Bonnie asked while gently caressing Shego’s side to help keep her calm.

“He was a stillborn. My mother went through full labor, almost died, and he was a stillborn. My mother was broken by his death. She thought it was her fault, thought she was weak, and for a year, she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and barely ate. It was like she was dead. My father took care of her every day, stayed with her every day, and believed she’d be herself again one day. He just needed to stick with her. It took her a year, but he was right. One day, she started talking and eventually she got her ass out of bed. Before long, she was back to cursing us out and kicking ass. If my mother could survive that, then Kim can survive this. And, if my father could survive that, then we can survive this,” Shego stated strongly.

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. We will survive this.”

“As a family.”

“As a family.”

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sat in the dark with Cali pressed against her side. Usually, Bonnie and Shego would have slept in the living room with her, but they had agreed to give her any requested space they could. She wanted to sleep by herself. It would give her time to gather her own thoughts and therefore be better prepared when Bonnie and Shego were on her in the morning about breakfast, medication, and how she was feeling. 

Of course, it also left her alone with her thoughts. Her mind had been rather traitorous lately. _Even if Bonnie said those guys didn’t beat you, we both know they did, Possible. They beat you!_

Kim shook her head and made a fist with her one good hand. “No, no they didn’t. They didn’t destroy me, or break me, or beat me. I’m here. I’m here with people who love me and only want the best for me. This isn’t forever,” she muttered, looking down at the array of casts and bandages. “No, this isn’t nearly forever. I can’t sit here and dwell on what almost happened. I have to get better for Bonnie and Shego and Cali. Hell, for Joss, my parents, my brothers, and my students. I have to get better for the world at large. They didn’t beat me. They made me stronger.” 

Yes, they had made her stronger because they made her realize what she had in life. They made her realize that it was not weak to depend on those around her. It was not weak to be taken care by people who loved her. It was not weak to be helpful, even if some people would lie and take advance of that. It was not weak to be herself.

“I won’t let them take anything more from me. I’m not going to sit here and dwell on the wrong things anymore,” Kim vowed. She was stronger than that. She would be stronger than that, for herself and for her family. “My family,” she said with a smile and reached down to pet Cali’s head. _My family. I will get better for my family_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: several family members pop up.


	5. Biology 101 — How to Relate to Your Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. Cali and Isabel are my characters.

5: Biology 101 — How to Relate to Your Blood

“Are you all right with us having breakfast here?” Bonnie asked Kim. Bonnie, Shego, and Joss set up a small breakfast around Kim’s convalesce nest, as they had come to think of her bedding in the living room. 

“I don’t mind. I like having breakfast with you guys,” Kim answered. She knew the question was asked because everyone was now doing their best not to treat Kim like a complete invalid and they were trying not to hover in order to save Kim’s sanity.

“That’s good to know,” Bonnie commented with a smile. “We like having breakfast with you.”

“You guys are so cute!” Joss cooed.

Three sets of eyes rolled. Joss had taken to their relationship quite well and completely approved of their unconventional family. Of course, she had a lot of time to prepare for seeing them together mentally, but she did not act as if it was strange in the slightest. They figured it was due to the fact that Kim was almost fatally injured. Joss was more focused on Kim’s recovery than anything else, which was what she was there for. But, they appreciated her diving right in and not being judgmental in any way.

“We’re not cute. No one older than you can be cute,” Shego stated, giving Joss a glare while buttering a croissant for her redheaded girlfriend. Once it met with her approval, she passed it to Kim.

“Y’all are totally cute, though!” Joss smiled. “I mean, you just buttered her bread!” She motioned between Kim and Shego.

Shego decided to just ignore the younger woman. “My parents are coming home in a few days, Kimmie. They wanted to know if it was all right for them to visit you.”

“I don’t mind. I think I want to thank them,” Kim said. Ever since speaking to Isabel, she felt a little better about herself. And ever since speaking with her lovers, she began healing mentally, which she knew she needed more than anything else.

Kim was not too happy about how everyone was sort of tip-toeing around her now, but she could understand and appreciate why they were doing it. She could not have it both ways – asking them not to hover and then request they not ask her if certain things were all right with her. It was nice that they wanted to respect her wishes, even it felt a little weird.

Groaning, Shego shook her head. “Please, don’t. My mother might never shut the hell up about it if you thank her.” 

It was Bonnie’s turn to groan. “Are you going to get back onto this ‘I hate my mother’ horse of yours?”

“She gets on my nerves. She is, like, the world’s most annoying woman,” Shego proclaimed. “And I totally, honestly mean that.” 

“I wanna meet the woman that gave birth to you,” Joss commented with a laugh.

Shego resisted the urge to throw some bread at Joss. “And I always thought having a little sister would’ve been better than having brothers, but it seems like it would’ve been the same thing.”

She earned laughs with that line. Breakfast was eventless, which was great for them. Before, meals between them had been tense. It had been because of Kim’s habit of smiling and being sweet all the time when they knew that was not how she felt inside. With Kim becoming more comfortable with things, they were all able to become more comfortable. 

“Shego, are you going to drive me to work today or are you going to go to class?” Bonnie asked as Shego started buttering another croissant, which was for the lawyer. 

The eldest looked to Kim. “Should I go to work or do you need me here?”

“Hey, aren’t I here so you can go to work!” Joss objected with a good-natured grin.

“You’re here because I haven’t figured out where to hide your body yet. Don’t forget that, kid,” Shego remarked, wagging her finger at Joss.

“Shego, you should go to work. Give your brothers a break. Besides, you know your students miss you. Poor Yori has probably been sexually assaulted more times than we can count since you haven’t been down there,” Kim pointed out.

“Yori might’ve killed my whole class and the twins if that’s the case,” Shego retorted with a scoff. She could imagine the carnage. She would have to go to work just to find out where Yori dumped all of the bodies. Her parents would undoubtedly like to give the twins a proper burial, after all. 

Shego did not argue with Kim in regards to her returning to class. Joss was there to help with Kim when Shego and Bonnie where gone, after all. Besides, she had to trust Kim and give her space, like they agreed on, she reminded herself. So, it would seem that she would be returning to class after a month’s absence.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll call you at around noon, baby?” Bonnie inquired with hope sparkling in her blue-green eyes. 

“That’s fine. I’d like that,” Kim replied with a smile, a real smile. Before, Bonnie called every fifteen minutes while she was at work and that was overkill. It was not that Kim did not want to hear from her tanned lover, but she did not want Bonnie treating her like a baby. She also did not like Bonnie being so obviously worried about her. Lessening the calls would help Bonnie, too.

Breakfast was finished and Shego and Bonnie gave Kim farewell kisses. Cali trotted after them to the door, but did not follow them down. Shego drove Bonnie to work and they held hands the whole way there. Kisses were exchanged when they pulled up to the firm, Bonnie exited, and Shego returned to their building in order to get to work.

“Hey, sis, what are you doing down here?” Wes inquired as she settled into her classroom. Of course, she was one of the few people who knew it was Wes. Hell, even Yori could not tell the Go twins apart and she was an expert in noticing the smallest details.

“I’m taking back my class if you don’t mind. Go help Wen, so he doesn’t end up with anymore bruised shins,” Shego dismissed her younger brother with a wave of her hand.

Wes chuckled. “They really can’t stand the fact that he’s not Kim. She’s starting a cult up there or something.” 

Snorting, Shego rolled her eyes. “Ah, that’s what everyone thinks we’re doing.”

“Kim more so than you and Yori. You see, you and Yori’s students get that me and Wen are only here for certain amount of time because Kim got hurt. They understand you’re gonna be back and Kim’s gonna be back and everything’s gonna fine. They get we’ve only been here a month. Kids don’t get that, especially _that_ young. Kim made an impression on them and they all admire her. They want to be her. They want _her_ approval. They want _her_ ,” Wes tried to explain. He doubted he was doing a very good job. “Oh, I know, think of us if Mommy was suddenly gone.” He pointed between them.

Shego looked directly at her brother and could not help thinking about the event that seemed to keep coming up – the time Isabel really was gone. Shego had not been very old at the time and did not fully comprehend what had happened, but she knew that a void had opened up inside of her. She had tried to fill that void with her father, which she knew she still did. Much of it was force of habit now, but in that year her mother had been lost to her, Shego had accepted it and tried to move on as best a child could. But, it was not her reaction that interested her right now; it was Mego’s reaction. 

She could not recall much of her brothers’ reactions at the time, but Mego had been the one that always made it a point to comment on how something was not like their Mommy’s or someone could not tell them what to do because the person was not his Mommy. Their grandmother had actually almost snapped his spine in half when he told her, “You might look it, but you ain’t my Mommy, so leave me alone.” He refused to accept any and all substitutions for their mother. He had been a very smart-mouthed little brat, she recalled with a smile.

“Call Matteo and try to get him to help with the kids. He should know what they’re going through,” Shego said. 

A red eyebrow arched. “Huh? Mego would know what someone’s going through? Mego? Our brother Mego?” he could not have sounded more incredulous if he tried. 

She snickered a bit. “I know it’s hard to believe that the crazy egomaniac would be empathetic, but it happens. When Kim’s better, we’ll bring her downstairs for the kids to see. Until then, I think we can figure out a video connection or something for the kids to see Kim. She’s pretty coherent now.”

“I’m sure she is. You and Bonnie force those pain meds on her, but she always makes you stop, so they don’t make her feel doped up. I don’t know how she does it. I mean, we heal extra fast thanks to our powers, but it still hurts a lot when we break something. I couldn’t imagine breaking everything and still feeling that pain a month later,” Wes commented, shaking his head.

“It sucks and I’m not even the one that feels the pain physically. All right, time to get things started,” Shego declared, clapping her hands together.

Shego walked off while her little brother wandered off upstairs. She did some stretches and warm up exercises. By the time her first few students trickled in, she was all smiles and ready for work. She had missed these maniacs, she realized. _They’re my maniacs_.

“Teach, you back?” one of her students inquired with a hopeful grin.

“I’m back. And, to show you I mean business, as soon as we get enough people in here, we’re going down the hall and kicking those ninjas’ asses. They’ll never see it coming!” Shego proclaimed, punching her left fist into her open right palm.

The students cheered. The plan to invade Yori’s class showed Shego was back for good. Her students were reassured, so now she had to work on reassuring Kim’s students.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sighed and tried to settle back into her nest. Cali had promised to give her sometime to herself and Joss was busy on the computer. It was just Kim on her own, trying to get herself together. She meditated a little, but it did not settle her like it used to. She actually needed to be able to stand for meditation for help her. 

“I can make it through this. I’ve had plenty of broken bones before. Sure, not all at the same time, but I’ve had them before. My mom took care of me pretty good. Why is it so hard for me to accept Bonnie and Shego doing it for me? I mean, I’d do it for them…” Kim sighed, scratching her head. Already, she thought these were not things she could just work out on her own. Quickly, she reached for her Kimmiucator and made a call.

“Hello, darling,” Isabel chirped, apparently pleased to hear from Kim.

“Isabel, I need your help. I thought having time to myself, time to think about things and sort myself out was the way to go, but one day of it and I already know I’m wrong. What am I supposed to do?” Kim begged to know.

“Kimmie, I know this is difficult. Trust me, I’ve been through this… which, of course, would be why you called me,” Isabel chuckled a little.

“Yes.”

“Kim, I’ve already told you how to overcome this. You have to speak with them. I overcame my depression by finally talking to Kane… once I realized he was there anyway. It was a horrible time. Anyway, You just have to keep talking to them. I know you feel weak and you want to be left alone. I felt like that when I was coherent enough to realize where I was. But, I was able to regain my sense of self by talking to Kane. Trust me, it works wonders,” Isabel vowed.

“You make it sound so simple.”

“In introspect, it was the easiest thing to do. While it was occurring, I think I felt I would have had a better chance of walking across molten lava carrying an elephant. Have you spoken with them?”

“Yes, we spoke about this last night.”

“Didn’t you feel better?” Isabel inquired.

“I did.”

“I know you did. So, just keep it up. Trust me, Kim, it works. I know you think getting space and working it out on your own is really the best course of action along with speaking to them, but it isn’t. All your head is going to do is tell you how spectacularly imperfect and mortal you are. Your head lies,” Isabel said, laughing somewhat.

“My head lies?” Kim was pretty sure she was imperfect and mortal, just like her head kept insisting. It was something she should probably come to terms with.

“Oh, yes, when damaged, the head lies. It lies a lot,” Isabel insisted.

“But… I am mortal.”

“Yes, we all are, but some more enlightened than others. You’re leaps and bounds ahead. Your head will lie, so you will stop believing that. Don’t listen to your head. Your head lies.”

Kim took a deep breath and sniffled. “Are you sure?”

“For a person meant to keep moving, when you stand still, you’re thrown off balance. Your mind’s used to a fast pace and it responds to that pace. Once at a stand still, confusion begins because it doesn’t know what to do, it doesn’t know how to process the new, but some how lessened data coming in. Kim, trust me, just talk about it with your spouses as often as possible.”

The hero burst out laughing. “Spouses?”

“Yes, spouses. Why are you and Firefly so insistent you three aren’t married? I should call Bonnie and see if she considers you her wives. Perhaps she’s the one I can talk to about some grandchildren,” Isabel mused aloud.

Kim made a choking noise. “Grandchildren?”

“Yes, grandchildren. I need some while I can still spoil them. At my age, my mother had several. I want that,” Isabel declared.

“Uh… Isabel, I need to go,” Kim replied. She did not have the mental capacity for the rest of this conversation. “Thank you for helping me. I can’t wait to see you,” she said and she disconnected the call. She blew out a breath. “Grandchildren? She could’ve waited until I felt safe fainting to tell me that one.” 

Briefly, Kim was overwhelmed by the thought of marriage and kids. That would certainly extend their little family of four; she had to include Cali in her thoughts. But, as the thought settled, it was not as bad. Well, it would not be bad if she were able to stand up on her own and bathe herself.

“I wonder…” Kim decided to make another call. “Hey, baby.”

“Hi, Kimmie. I’m surprised you’re calling me. I thought you needed time to yourself,” Bonnie said.

“And now I need to talk to you.”

“Well, talk. I’ve got the time,” Bonnie commented. The sound of voice made it easy to deduce that she was smiling.

“I know this might sound like a weird question, but do you think of me and Shego as your wives?”

Bonnie chuckled. “I’d like to, but I do not.”

“You’d like to, but you don’t? Why don’t you?”

“Well, for one, we’d have to exchange rings and I’d really like a ceremony with vows and everything.”

Kim laughed a little. “Rings I can understand, but a ceremony? I know gay marriage is all the rage and everything, but I don’t think they’ll allow the three of us to do it.”

Bonnie giggled. “I don’t mean a legal ceremony, baby. I just want something for us and for our families. Don’t you think your father would like to give you away? We could have a lovely ceremony on the beach or at Kane’s vacation house. I’m sure between your parents and Shego’s parents, someone would be able to find someone to perform a ceremony.”

“I can see you’ve thought this out pretty well,” Kim muttered. She was loath to admit it never crossed her mind. She had been perfectly content with everything the way it was before her accident.

“I have. I want to spend my life with you and Shego, after all.”

Kim scratched her chin. _Wow_. “I … I want that, too,” she realized. Because she had never thought of it, she did not realize she wanted it. These were the only two people she wanted to be with from now until the end of time.

“I should hope so. You’re the reason we all came together, after all,” Bonnie commented with another laugh.

“Yeah, but love has kept us all together. So, this ceremony that you’d like to happen… do you see it happening sometime soon or…?”

“The future. Not too distant, but not too soon. Shego’s very squeamish at the mere implication that we’re spouses and you’ve never even brought it up. Have you been thinking about this while sitting on your ass all day?” Bonnie teased.

Kim chuckled. _Oh, she’s teasing me. Maybe my calling helped her_. “No. Honestly, I called just because talking helps.”

Bonnie was silent for a moment before she made a noise that sounded like she understood what was going on. “It does. Talking to you helped me get over my insecurities. Remember what you would always tell me when I got down on myself?”

“That you’re totally awesome because you’re totally awesome,” Kim proclaimed. It was true then and it was true now.

“Well, guess what? Baby, you’re totally awesome. In fact, you’re, like, the most awesome person on the planet. I mean, you’re Kim Possible. You can do anything,” Bonnie declared with a laugh.

Kim absorbed that and smiled brightly. “Thank you for that.”

“Hey, I’m only telling you the truth. I’m happy you decided to talk to me about this. You are awesome, baby. Totally awesome.”

“You are too, you know that, right? You’re totally awesome.”

Bonnie giggled. “I know I am, baby. You make me feel that way everyday. You and Shego.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“I’ll let you get back to your work now,” Kim said.

“Please, call me anytime, my love.”

“I will.” Kim then disconnected the call. She was almost annoyed to find out that Isabel was correct; she felt better. Talking with Bonnie made her feel much better. She inhaled and smiled.

“Kim, I’m going out to do the shopping. Do you want anything?” Joss called into the living room.

“Yeah, can you come here for a second?” Kim requested.

Joss appeared in the entryway seconds later. “Yeah?”

“I appreciate all of the help you’ve given me and us over this week. You’ve been amazing,” Kim said and her cousin grinned. That got a smile out of her. “I just thought you should know the truth.”

“I thought… I thought I was useless cuz you were so grumpy,” Joss admitted in a low tone, glancing away briefly.

“What? No, Joss! You’re doing great! I was grumpy because… well, look at me! I’m kinda in a bad way,” Kim pointed out. “In a really bad way.”

“I know you are, which is why I never thought much of you being grumpy, but you seemed so resistant to everything I tried to do.”

“I was just pissed. Actually, I am still pissed. I mean, look at me, right? But, I don’t mean to take it out on you and I’m going to do my very best to stop doing that,” Kim vowed.

Joss smiled slightly. “Good to know.”

“Again, thank you, Joss.”

“You’re welcome.”

Joss practically skipped out of the room after that. Kim smiled and admitted to herself that she was feeling a lot better. She was healing in every way possible now.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie smiled softly, glancing at the phone. She was still beaming because of Kim’s call and the conversation. She was glad Kim asked her about marriage. It had been something that had been on her mind for a little while, especially after Kim injured herself.

“Or maybe it’s been since I accepted that they’re my family. I just want to be closer to my family and marriage would do that. It would show a great deal of commitment, but I think I have my own demons to work through before I can ask that from Kim and Shego,” Bonnie muttered.

While she was often going on about their family and how they had given her two loving extended families, she knew she had one matter to deal with. She still had a biological brother out there that had not forsaken her, Johnnie. Johnnie had made strides to make amends, but she had resisted. After all, he had abused her just as her other siblings had, but he had done so for survival, just as she had done. Except, since she was the baby of the family, she had to target someone else, someone outside of their family – Kim.

“If I could make up with Kim, have her forgive me, and end up loving her this much, I think I really should have a chat with Johnnie. No reason to be a bitch longer than I’ve been already,” Bonnie figured. So, she picked up her phone and dialed.

“Bonnie?” Johnnie sounded beyond surprised.

“Hey, bro. How are you doing?” Bonnie asked.

“I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting to hear you.”

“Yes, I’ve learned that talking about things might actually help start the healing process. I think the couple of times it seems like we’re starting, I hesitate. I need to stop doing that. If we’re going to get on with our lives, we do need to talk,” Bonnie explained.

“I would like that,” Johnnie commented.

“How about we have lunch today? I’ll have to call Shego and everything, but I’d like to have lunch with you.”

“That sounds great. So, where do you want to meet up?”

Bonnie made plans with her brother and then had to cancel her usual lunch date with Shego. That seemed to work out for Shego, who planned to meet up with her own brother for lunch along with the twins. Bonnie did not bother to ask why there was a Go sibling luncheon, figuring she would get the whole story at home. With that out of the way, she finished up with her work and then went to meet her brother.

Johnnie was waiting for Bonnie at a diner and smiled when she entered. His blue eyes lit up as he focused on her. Bonnie smiled a little, too, pleased her brother was happy to see her. His ebony hair was longer than she recalled and he seemed to have the workings of a beard going on. He was dressed well; it was the first time that she had seen him in business casual clothing.

“Bonnie, I’m so glad you showed up,” Johnnie said, reaching out for her and guiding her into the seat across from him.

“That makes two of us. Sorry I’ve been blowing you off for so long,” Bonnie apologized.

“It’s fine. You have your life and I have mine. It’s nice when they can coincide, though.”

She chuckled. It was nice that he was giving her an out, excusing her behavior to help get her to stay. “Yes, but they should coincide more. I know you’ve been trying, Johnnie. I just haven’t.”

“I can understand why. I wasn’t a very nice kid.” Sighing, he shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.

Bonnie nodded. “You weren’t, but I also wasn’t a very nice kid. I treated Kim the way you guys treated me, but she never gave up on me and she forgave me when I was mature enough and willing to change. She helped me change. Now, you’re trying to apologize to me and it’s time for me to forgive you.”

Johnnie smiled. “I’m happy for that. I really am sorry for everything, Bonnie. I was a dumb kid. I wanted them to accept me. I’m not that kid anymore. I want to be your brother now. Is that all right?”

“I think that’s fine. I should’ve said something earlier to you.”

“You said something and that’s all that matters. I’m glad you said something,” Johnnie declared.

“Yes, so, let’s try having a normal conversation now, like a brother and a sister should have. How have you been? What’s with the suit?” she asked. For all of her family talk with Kim and Shego, honestly, Bonnie did not even know what Johnnie did for a living anymore.

“Just got a job in management.”

“At that same crazy store you used to work at?”

Johnnie nodded. “The very same.” He paused as a waiter came over to take their orders and then picked right back up when the guy was gone. “Brick pushed me to go to college and get a business management degree. He’s been a lot more encouraging than Mom and Dad have ever been. Remember Dad would always tell me to just join the army? ‘They could always use more practice dummies.’”

“Dad… if ever there was a person that shouldn’t have had kids…” She trailed off with a chuckle.

He laughed a little, too. What else could they do but laugh after growing up in that house? “I think Mom would’ve been on that list, too. How does one manage to raise so many sadists in one home?”

“That might’ve actually been the problem. One might have been the sadist and then the others followed the lead without any adult intervention. But, then again, only two of us seems to regret our behavior,” she pointed out.

“Like I said, sadists. But, whatever. We’re more than the Rockwaller family.” He sat up a little taller and looked at her with sparkling eyes.

“This is quite true. You mentioned Brick, how is he?” Bonnie asked.

“He’s doing pretty good. He still doesn’t understand how it’s possible he’s not in the professional football league. He complains about it every now and then, but he’s doing well in a semi-professional league. How about your girls?”

Bonnie smiled. “Kim’s been a little under the weather,” she said. She knew Kim would not want anyone outside of their small circle to know about her injuries. “Shego and I have been taking care of her, but other than that, everyone’s fine.”

“That’s good. Work going well for you?”

“Yes, very well. I assume it’s going well for you, too.”

“It is.”

The pair chatted very amiably throughout lunch. Bonnie was quite pleased with the afternoon. She hoped Shego’s lunch with her brothers went in a similar manner.

-8-8-8-8-

“Stop eating my chicken, dammit!” Mego complained as the twins plucked food out of his container of takeout Chinese food. They sat on the floor in Shego’s classroom. The Go gang was all there, except their eldest brother and their parents.

“Could you two be any more annoying?” Shego huffed, shoving the youngest twin away from her.

“Doy!” Wes and Wen both responded by creating ten clones.

“God, this is why we used to beat you up!” Shego laughed, slapping the nearest clone. 

“Ow!” Wen complained, putting his hand on his cheek where his clone was smacked. “Hey, you know we can feel it when you guys hit our clones!”

“No shit. You’re lucky you can’t feel your clones being smacked around by the bad guys with the way you guys have your horrible defense,” Shego teased. For some reason, the twins could not feel the pain of their clones unless someone with comet powers hit the clone. It seemed like a good addition of their power… until they started annoying sibling, anyway. 

“No way! We could kick your ass right now!” Wes proclaimed.

“No one kicks my ass,” Shego declared with a confide smirk. Her brothers wisely did not dispute that. She turned her attention to Mego. “So, you’re cool on that thing we talked about?” 

“Yeah, I don’t have a problem with that. I’m happy to help, especially Kim. She’s adorable,” Mego said with an impish smile.

“You like Kim?” Wes inquired. He and his double leaned in, as if they did not want to miss the response there. 

“You haven’t even seen her that much. I mean, we’ve seen her way more than you have. Yes, she’s totally adorable and everything, but how would you know?” Wen added on.

“Hey, just because I don’t come around too often doesn’t mean I don’t keep up. She’s practically our sister-in-law!” Mego pointed out.

Emerald eyes narrowed. “Did Mommy or Daddy tell you that?”

Mego thought on it for a second. “Mommy first, but Daddy plays along now. You’ve been dating long enough, anyway. I think it’s rather apropos.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell them not to order any dresses just yet. They keep trying to get us married and Kim’s upstairs stuck in her freaking nest and miserable!” Shego snorted, motioning to the ceiling.

“Speaking of that, you think I can go upstairs and talk to Kim? I know I haven’t been around a lot, but I do want to make the best of my time, sis,” Mego said. 

Shego smiled and nodded. Mego always showed the world that he was a selfish bastard, but what he really was spoiled. He cared about the people close to him, especially his family. Everything did not have to be about him, even if he floated all around the world because it was something that he wanted to do.

“Just try not to be annoying. She’s understandably a little cranky,” Shego said. 

“I’m not annoying! Don’t confuse me with the twins!” Mego grinned while pointing accusing fingers at the youngest two.

They laughed and went back to eating… as well as bothering each other by stealing food. They actually thought it would be fun if Hego were with them. It would have been like old times. _Some other time_ , Shego thought.

-8-8-8-8-

“So, how did things go after Mego explained stuff to my class?” Kim asked as she, Shego, Bonnie, and Joss sat down for dinner. Cali was in her cat form, lounging on the floor with food of her own.

“He was actually good with the kids. It was shocking as hell. He was even surprised at how well he dealt with them. I’m scared, but I think he might be considering kids now,” Shego grimaced at the mere thought. 

“Your mom will talk him out of it,” Kim remarked.

“I hope so. No kid deserves to be with Matteo for more than an hour,” Shego quipped with a laugh. 

“Come on! He’s your brother. He can’t be that bad,” Joss commented.

“No, he’s worse,” Shego grinned. 

“He was nice when he came up here to see Kim,” Joss pointed out. Kim nodded in agreement.

“Don’t listen to Shego. She teases, but she loves, which was why she trusted Mego to talk to Kim’s kids today and why she trusted the twins with the classes. They’re not as incompetent as she swears they are,” Bonnie insisted with a small smile. 

Joss laughed a bit, but she knew Bonnie was right. She saw how Shego barked at Cali one second and would coddle the cat the next. Shego was like that with Bonnie and Kim, too. It was very mild with her lovers, but Joss realized she was around at a very trying time for the trio. She planned to come around more often to see more of them. 

“Joss, I’m still surprised that you’re so cool with this,” Shego said.

“Your family is cool with it, so why shouldn’t the Possible family be cool with it?” Joss replied with a smile.

“Is that what this is? You have to prove your family’s as cool as mine?” The smug smirk was pure Shego.

“My family would kick your ass if we were up to par,” Joss bragged. The trio chuckled. Joss fit in, they all thought.

“You know what, kid? I think we might keep you for a while,” Bonnie quipped with a bright smile.

“Thank ya kindly,” Joss remarked with a smile of her own.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Ron and Monique show up when Ron needs Kim and Monique to help him with important business.


	6. Sociology 211 — How to Talk Unconventional Marriages and Family Units

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Isabel, though.

6: Sociology 211 — How to Talk Unconventional Marriages and Family Units 

Kim was stuck in her nest in the living room, still healing from her major accident. She was getting better by the day, but still unable to do much. Joss was still playing her nurse, which she did not mind. She had learned to appreciate the help, but was probably also more agreeable since she was visibly doing better.    
  
“Kim, I’m going to the store. You want anything beyond the usual?” Joss called from the kitchen.  
  
“I’m good,” Kim replied.  
  
“What about Cali? Should I get her something? Have you even seen Cali?” Joss stepped into the living room, scanning the area for the busybody feline.  
  
“Try the closet or the bathroom. Actually, you know if she hears the door open, she’ll come out if she’s here,” the older Possible pointed out, motioning to the front door. Cali could tell when it was that door instead of the many others in the apartment being opened.  
  
Joss nodded, having learned how true that was. She went to the door and opened it. Barely a second later, Cali charged out of the closet. Joss had to laugh.  
  
“There you are, little darling. I’m going shopping. You want anything special?” Joss inquired, leaning down to pet the feline briefly.  
  
Cali changed into her human form and stared at Joss with big, begging eyes. “Can I come?”  
  
Joss laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, cutie, but no pets at the supermarket. I’ll get you something good.”  
  
Cali pouted and went back to her cat form. Joss left for the supermarket while Cali slinked away back to closet. Kim grabbed a book to read, but was distracted by the sound of the door opening. She thought Joss forgot something, but learned that was not the case.  
  
“Hey, K. P, you home? Joss said you were and that you were awake, but you might’ve drifted off since she left,” Ron called. He had keys to the house now, so that he could check on Kim just in case.  
  
“I’m in the living room,” Kim replied with a light laugh and was pleased she did not think of anything sarcastic or snotty to her friend. A few weeks ago, she would have had nothing but venomous words for such a question, but of course those would have all been in her mind. He knew all about her fake smile and false pleasantries. He was more than happy when she finally stopped doing that.  
  
Ron appeared seconds life with Cali circling his feet. He sat down next to Kim’s nest, adjusting a messenger bag he had. Cali jumped into his lap. He looked down at her, but he did not say anything to the cat. He put his hand up and Cali went about the task for petting herself, rubbing against his palm.  
  
“So, what’s up, Ron?” the hero inquired with a smile.    
  
“Before I start, I invited Monique over, too. I want you both to help me pick out an engagement ring for Yori,” Ron explained, practically bouncing in his seat.  
  
Olive eyes went wide. “Engagement ring? You’re going to propose to Yori?”  
  
“You think it’s too soon? It might be too soon, right? Is it too soon?” he begged with shining brown eyes, mouth drawn down into a pout.  
  
Kim chuckled. “No, I don’t think it’s too soon. You’ve been with Yori longer than I’ve been with Shego. Hell, longer than I’ve been with Bonnie, too. But, the point is apparently quite a few people consider us married. So, it’s not too soon for you.” 

“Now, you’re making it sound like I’m late.”

Huffing out of the side of her mouth, she decided to ignore that comment. “When’s Mo coming?”  
  
His brow wrinkled a little, as he looked around like he was searching for their missing friend. “She should’ve been here by now. But, she was coming from home instead of work, so it might take a while.”  
  
Kim nodded. “Well, until she shows up, what’s going on with you? You and Yori still hanging out with Hana when you get a chance?” She wanted to catch up. Ever since her accident, she had not seen as much of Ron as she would have liked because he had work and he had Yori and, of course, he had his little sister. He had a lot to do and if she were at least mobile she could make room in her schedule for him instead of him always having to make room for her.  
  
He grinned. “Oh, yeah! We took her to the movies a few days ago. They love being around each other. Hana makes leaving Japan beyond worth it for Yori.”  
  
She smiled and touched his knee. “I think you have a little something to do with her being happy with the move.”     
  
He blushed. “I hope so. You guys giving her a job that she loves helps, too. While some of the students drive her a little crazy, she loves teaching.”  
  
“That’s good. Her students love her from what I remember. I haven’t been downstairs for a while, but I doubt that’s changed over the past couple of months.”  
  
“It hasn’t. Shego’s still hazing her with the class wars.”  
  
“That’s not hazing. Shego loves doing that and she feels it helps both sets of students. Not to mention, Yori invades her back now. They have fun. I know Yori tells you it’s fun.”     
  
He laughed. “She does like it now. She thought it was weird at first and she couldn’t figure out what to make of it, but she likes it now. It’s practice. She spars with Shego, too. She loves this job.”  
  
“Good to know. She’s an important part of the school.”  
  
Ron smiled and the conversation was cut short as the bell rang. Ron went to answer, figuring it was probably Monique. It was and she greeted him with a hug before they both went to the living room.  
  
“Hey, girl, you look a lot better than the last time I saw you,” Monique commented as she leaned down and kissed Kim’s cheek. She had seen the hero a couple of times when she first got back to the States. It was such a shocking sight that Monique cried each time. Since she was not as emotional, Kim took that as a huge sign that she looked better.  
  
“Thanks. It’s good to know. How long have you been back in the country?” Kim asked.  
  
“Not too long. I’ve been at the store. I’ll probably be there for a couple of weeks, so I’ll see more of you,” Monique replied.  
  
Kim smiled. “I look forward to it.”  
  
“Now, why are we here?” Monique asked as she took a seat on the floor since that was where Ron and Kim were. Cali made herself comfortable on part of Kim’s blankets. The redhead scratched the top of the cat’s head.  
  
“I want help in picking out an engagement ring for Yori,” Ron announced, pulling out a laptop from his messenger bag. “I didn’t expect so many options,” he laughed sheepishly.  
  
“Yeah, they’re rings, dude,” Monique chuckled. “What’s your budget?”  
  
“I don’t want to go over 500 bucks. I mean, yes, Yori’s the love of my life and everything, but I will need money for a wedding ring if everything goes right, right?” he reasoned.  
  
“Wow, you’ve really thought this out, huh?” Kim pointed out.  
  
The blond laughed nervously, scratching his cheek with his index finger. “I wanna do right by her. I mean, this is the woman I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with and hopefully have a family with. I’ve gotta learn to plan ahead and junk.”  
  
Both women smiled. “You’ve gotten so mature, Ron,” Monique commented.  
  
The trio got to work trying to find the perfect ring for Yori. Kim did her best to focus on the task at hand, but looking through dozens and dozens of rings, she could not help spotting ones that she thought would be good for her lovers. Her heart sped up each time until she silently conceded that she would not mind being married to her girlfriends.  
  
“Hey, Bonnie would probably die for this ring,” Monique chuckled as she pointed to a ring that Kim knew the lawyer would love.  
  
Ron laughed, too. “You know what, Kim, maybe you should look, too. You should be getting hitched soon, too.”  
  
“I’m designing wedding dresses,” Monique called with a grin, going as far as raising her hand.     
  
“I got you on catering, so find some rings,” Ron teased and Kim blushed all the way to the roots of her hair.  
  
“Let’s focus on one wedding and engagement at a time,” Kim pointed out.  
  
“Okay, but that just means you’re next,” Ron reminded her.  
  
They laughed, but went back to work. They had it narrowed down to ten rings by the time Joss returned. Cali leaped up and ran into the kitchen, knowing Joss had food. Kim laughed at the cat’s behavior, but she kept her focus on the rings.    
  
“Hey, y’all, I made some snacks for you since it’s Kim’s lunch time,” Joss explained as she came in with some fruit bowls. She handed one to each of them.  
  
“Thanks, Joss. You’re the best,” Kim declared.  
  
“Yeah, cool. Thanks,” Ron concurred.    
  
“Thank you,” Monique said.  
  
Joss smiled elfishly at the group, pleased with being praised. She returned to the kitchen, where Cali was rolling around with the new mouse toy that Joss bought for her. Joss tried to put away the rest of the groceries. The phone rang, so Joss had to get that.    
  
“Cali, one of these day, I’m training you to answer the phone. What’s the point of having a magic pet if you can’t go above and beyond?” Joss teased, earning a curious look from the cat. “Hello, Possible-Rockwaller-Go residence,” she answered.  
  
“Hey, Joss. It’s Isabel. I’m having lunch with your aunt. We’re going to come over and see Kim when we’re done. Just want to make sure you’re aware and she’s aware, so she’s not overwhelmed or annoyed with us,” the warrior woman explained.  
  
Joss glanced into the living room, noting Kim’s smile. “I don’t think she’ll be annoyed or overwhelmed. She’s in great spirits today.”  
  
“That’s great. We look forward to seeing her. Hold on, your aunt wants to speak with you.”  
  
“All right.” Joss could hear the phone being passed.  
  
“Hello, Joss. Isabel said you’ve reported that Kim’s in great spirits. Has she been taking her medication and everything?” Ann inquired.  
  
“Yes, Bonnie, Shego, me, and even Cali have been making sure that she does,” Joss informed the worried woman.  
  
“That’s good. Well, we’ll see you both soon.”  
  
“All right. Bye.”  
  
“Bye.”  
  
The call was disconnected. Joss glanced in the living room to see the old friends in a heated debate over the rings they were looking at and Joss decided not to bother them. She had her own chores to get through and she knew Kim would not be upset if her mother and Isabel popped up.

-8-8-8-8-

“You guys sure this one is the best?” Ron asked with trepidation in his voice. He squinted as he regarded the band.  
  
“We all agreed this suits Yori the best. You’re just nervous,” Kim replied. She heard the door open and glanced at the clock. It was too early to be either one of her lovers.  
  
“This ring’s nice, too, and well within your price range. You’re lucky. Buy it now over the Internet, just in case you can’t make it to the store anytime soon. You need to hop on this before it’s gone or before the price goes up,” Monique pushed him. He seemed to need pushing if the anxious chatter of his teeth meant anything.  
  
“Hello, snapshot of the past. What are you three doing?” Ann asked with a smile as she and Isabel stepped into the living room.  
  
“Hi, Mom! Hi, Isabel,” Kim practically chirped. If she could move, she would have opened her arms to hug them. Instead, they leaned down and hugged her lightly.  
  
“Hi, Mrs. Dr. P. Hi, Shego’s mom,” Ron said with a smile. Monique could only wave because she was laughing at Ron’s odd greeting. Ann hugged them as well.  
  
“Hi, so, what are you three doing?” Isabel asked as she took a seat on the couch, making sure to be careful of Kim. Ann took a seat on the love seat and they both looked down at Ron’s laptop to see the ring that he was considering.  
  
“Ron’s planning to propose to Yori, so we’re helping him pick out a ring. Don’t you think this ring is perfect?” Kim pointed to the computer screen.  
  
“Absolutely beautiful, right?” Monique chimed in.  
  
“That’s stunning,” Isabel concurred with a firm nod.  
  
“Yes, and it would look nice on Yori,” Ann agreed.  
  
Ron looked at each woman and then back at the computer. Taking a deep breath, he clicked the ring and began to order it. Kim smiled at him, hoping it would get him to calm down. She doubted it helped because a bead of sweat ran down Ron’s cheek.  
  
“So, Ron, you’re ready to get married?” Ann inquired politely.  
  
“I hope so and I hope Yori is. She’s my life and I’m ready for the world to know,” the blond declared.  
  
Ann smiled. “So romantic. I can’t believe how much you’ve all grown up. And how you’ve changed and stayed the same at the same time. It’s incredible,” she said with some awe in her voice.  
  
“Yes, so, Kim, if your childhood friend is getting married, shouldn’t you be looking into doing the same?” Isabel asked with a smile. “And maybe soon having some children?”  
  
Ann laughed. “You’re about as subtle as a chainsaw, Isabel.”  
  
Isabel smiled and shrugged. “I can’t help it. I want what I want. My daughter’s happy, in a wonderful relationship with two awe-inspiring women, so it’s time for them to move forward. I _need_ grandchildren.”  
  
“You have four sons,” Kim pointed out.  
  
“None of whom have girlfriends, where as my daughter has two young, nubile girlfriends,” Isabel countered, earning a few laughs, even though she was quite serious.    
  
“Maybe you should talk to your daughter and get her to do something,” Ann commented, trying to help.  
  
Isabel scoffed. “So she can tell me to go fuck myself? Hell, no. I need to talk to the reasonable people in the relationship. I need grandchildren, ASAP.”  
  
Kim laughed. “You’re jumping well ahead of the game with us. The word marriage makes Shego break out in hives.”  
  
“This conversation’s getting too rich for my blood. I’m only trying to get engaged,” Ron remarked as he climbed to his feet and packed away his computer.      
  
“Have you figured out how you’re going to ask Yori?” Kim inquired.  
  
“I’m taking her on a midnight picnic whenever there’s a full moon and do it then,” he explained with a smile. That earned a lot of surprised looks.  
  
“You stole that from a movie, didn’t you?” Kim guessed, smirking at her friend. He would never come up with something like that on his own.  
  
“The source doesn’t matter!” he insisted with a grin.  
  
“It’s very romantic, Ron,” Ann praised him. “Yori’s lucky to have you.”  
  
He visibly preened and they smiled at him. He took his leave on that note, bidding them all farewell. Monique left right behind him because she did have work that she needed to get back to. Kim hugged them both goodbye without a wince. Isabel and Ann smiled when they saw that.  
  
“You must feel much better,” Ann commented, looking quite pleased.  
  
“I do,” Kim admitted. “I think it’s more psychological and emotional, but I do feel a lot better. I’ll be even more so when I can finally leave my nest. So, what brings you two by? Not that I’m not happy to see you.” The hero smiled sincerely.  
  
“We wanted to see you and we wanted to talk to you about finding a physical therapist for when everything is healed,” Ann explained.  
  
“I’m guessing you both have lists of people you like for the job,” Kim said. After all, they were just that way.  
  
“Yes, but we met for lunch to narrow our lists, so you wouldn’t have to look through dozens of names. So, is that all right?” Ann asked.  
  
Kim nodded. “I’ll have to look them over with Bonnie and Shego, though.”  
  
“Of course,” her mother agreed.  
  
“See, Kim, you already think like a married person. You have to talk it over to with your spouses. Why don’t you propose, get married, and give me grandchildren?” Isabel reasoned.  
  
Kim laughed. “Why do you keep asking me to do that? We can’t even have biological children.”  
  
Isabel scoffed. “First off, biology is secondary to me. Being a Han is a state of mind, which is why my children didn’t even bear the last name. You can raise anybody to be a member of my family. So, you can adopt if you want or any other way you see fit to come by children. So, next issue. Besides, science has to have caught up to you by now, considering some of the other things I know science can provide. Ann, stop me if I’m wrong, please.”  
  
The neurosurgeon smiled at Kim, as if apologizing. “There are advances in science, surprising thanks to some of your enemies, but other things have been going on for a while now. Some people actually look at the things that villains do, imagine the good things they could do, and put those things into practice. I’m not quite sure if they could combine the DNA of three people, but females having children by other females can be done. It’s been in the works for a while. I like to think there are more geniuses on the side of good than just being crazy, mad scientists.” Ann smiled again.  
  
Kim groaned. “I’m starting to think you talked about more than physical therapists over lunch. Has Isabel talked you into this want of grandkids?”  
  
Ann chuckled and shook her head. “No, but I wouldn’t be oppose to grandchildren. I’m sure we’d have to ease your father into the idea. Why are you so opposed to this? When you and Bonnie got together, I thought you’d march on Washington on your own to get marriage equality passed. Now, you’re spinning your wheels.”  
  
“Because we can’t get married. There are three of us. We can’t get legally married,” Kim argued. Yes, she had figured when it was just her and Bonnie, eventually they would get married. It was a pipe dream for them now, though.  
  
“No, but a marriage is not about legal status. It’s about taking the next step. It’s about making a public commitment to your partners to be together forever,” Isabel replied.  
  
Kim arched an eyebrow. “Was that what your wedding was like to Kane?”  
  
The martial artist laughed and waved the question off. “I was so drunk when I married Kane, I don’t even remembering doing it. Kane and I didn’t have the most traditional courtship. Our public commitment was the fact that I didn’t kill him.”  
  
The redheaded hero laughed. She could see Isabel so much in Shego. The way Isabel spoke of Kane was the way that Shego spoke of her mother. But, she could also see so much of Kane in Shego, like his devotion to his beloved was the same in Shego’s devotion to her and Bonnie.  
  
“Despite Isabel’s odd marriage, she’s mostly correct. Marriage isn’t about legal status. It’s about the highest level at commitment and merging your lives, which you’ve already done.” Ann motioned around the apartment.  
  
Kim nodded and sighed. “It’s still a lot to think about. Besides, if we did have kids, it would be weird. We’re already weird and unconventional. Could we raise a family in such unconventional circumstances?”  
  
“Unconventional? You’re kidding, right? The only conventional thing about the family I made with Kane was that it was a two-parent household. There was nothing else that could be remotely normal. You’re not even from a conventional household in anything beyond that,” Isabel pointed out.  
  
Olive eyes blinked, not believing that Isabel even said that. “My household was very normal! Right, Mom?”  
  
Ann glanced away and turned her mouth downward for just a moment. “Well… Normal is not the way most would describe it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times someone called Child Protective Services on us because of your antics as a child. One of your teachers even accused us of child abuse because of your injuries.”  
  
Kim’s mouth hit the floor. “Child abuse?”  
  
Ann shrugged. “You were active, ever since you could crawl. You got hurt a lot because of that. Early in second grade, your teacher didn’t believe a little girl would actually try to jump her bike down the high steps in the park.”  
  
Kim’s brow furrowed. “I don’t even remember doing it, but I do remember my arm bending the wrong way.”  
  
“That was the least of our concerns. Getting you to stop pulling your arm because you thought it was funny for bending that way was high on our priority list, though,” the doctor commented.    
  
“Maybe Kim just doesn’t want to deal with a child like she used to be. I know my firefly probably doesn’t want that. Shego was similar to Kim, except she was following behind her big brother,” Isabel said.  
  
“Are we having this conversation because I can’t escape?” Kim inquired with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“Of course,” Isabel laughed.  
  
“We’ll stop, but think about it, Kim,” Ann requested.  
  
Kim nodded if only to get out of the discussion and into something less annoying and uncomfortable, like her injuries. Thankfully, the doctor in her mother came out and the warrior in Isabel came out and they did ask all sorts of questions about her body, her convalescence, and how she was holding up mentally. She was able to answer most of the questions positively, which made them all feel better.  
  
The mothers decided to leave before Shego and Bonnie got in with the hope it would encourage Kim to talk to them. Kim lounged in her nest as Cali jogged over and cuddled into Kim’s blanket. Joss came to sit down for a little while.    
  
“Doing good, cousin?” the younger woman asked.  
  
“Yeah, but I’m probably going to have take a pain pill in a little while. Thanks again for the snack. I was hungry.” Kim smiled.  
  
“No problem. So, Ron’s trying to get himself hitched, huh?”  
  
Kim looked up at her cousin to judge Joss’ feelings on the matter. “You don’t still have a crush, do you?”  
  
Joss laughed. “Please, Kim, I’ve been over him for years! Besides, he’s old now.”  
  
“What? He’s the same age as me!”  
  
Joss laughed more. “Yeah, and you’re old!”  
  
“You’re going to regret that when I can walk again!” Kim laughed and shook her fist at Joss.  
  
The younger woman laughed more. She turned on the television and they watched a show together. Joss eventually had to get Kim a pain pill and then they waited for Bonnie and Shego.

-8-8-8-8-

It was a quiet night for the most part. Bonnie and Shego had come home to find Kim napping with Cali doing the same close by. Joss had prepared dinner and Kim woke up in time for them to all eat as family. Cali ended up breaking the easy going mood.  
  
“Hey, what’s engaged?” the cat asked while having her dessert, which was a slice of cake. She was not supposed to have it, but she did her cat-faced version of the puppy dog pout when everybody else got a slice.    
  
Bonnie’s mouth dropped open. “Engaged?”  
  
“Yeah, I meant to ask earlier, but Kimmie fell asleep. The man with the yellow hair is gonna get engaged. They looked at rings for Yori. Oh, and the lady that smells nice said Kimmie should get one for Bonnie,” Cali explained.  
  
“Ron’s getting engaged?” Bonnie asked in disbelief.  
  
“You were looking at rings for Bonnie?” Shego inquired at the same time.  
  
Kim sighed. “Ron’s getting engaged and we were looking at rings for Yori. Monique saw a ring that Bonnie would’ve liked and I agreed. Nothing more.”  
  
“What’s wrong with looking at rings?” Bonnie asked Shego. “If you’re so opposed to marriage, you can complain for yourself, but don’t complain for me. I actually would like to get married one day, should one or both of you ask,” she proclaimed, giving them both a sort of smug look.  
  
Shego blinked as if stunned by the declaration. Kim was not bothered after having thought about it for most of the day. Not to mention, she knew Bonnie’s stance on the issue and remembered that once upon a time, she and Bonnie had spoke of getting married. In fact, when Shego looked to her for support, all she could do was smile and shrug.  
  
“Seriously, Princess?” Shego asked.  
  
“You’re not going to like this, but I spoke to our moms and they got me thinking about,” Kim replied.  
  
“I should’ve known that damned devil woman would come by when you were alone. We can’t get married, so it’s stupid to even entertain the thought. Marriage doesn’t mean anything, anyway. My parents got married drunk in Vegas. The marriage isn’t the thing that keeps them together,” Shego argued.  
  
“Is it the troop of half-crazed children?” Bonnie teased.  
  
Shego stuck her tongue out at Bonnie for a second. “No, it’s their weird, frightening emotions for each other. They had those long before the marriage and they undoubtedly would’ve stayed together even if they never got married. Of course, Mommy would’ve made life Hell for Daddy while doing it, but they more than likely would’ve stayed together no matter what, even without the troop of children.”  
  
“Shego, that’s not the point. The marriage, the rings, tell the world that you’re loved and also that you’re off the market,” Bonnie argued.  
  
“It’s also about us making a commitment to each other, promising each other in front of those that matter that we’ll be there for each other and support each other through the good and the bad. It’s as much for us as our families, for them to see we’re serious about each other,” Kim added.  
  
Shego frowned. “And what else did you and the mothers talk about since your suddenly so gung-ho about this?” At that point, Joss realized she needed to ease away from the trio. They knew that she was going, but completely ignored her.  
  
Kim scowled, too. “Kids if you must know. Your mother isn’t subtle about her desire for grandkids and my mother just let me know she’d like some, too. And maybe sometime in the not-too-distant future I’d like some.”  
  
“I would, too,” Bonnie chimed in with a smile. “Children have been in my plan since I met Kim and got involved with her. I know she’d be a good mom and I want to provide the childhood I never had for a child.”  
  
“So, it’s two against one?” Shego growled.     
  
“No, these are our hopes and desires and you need to be aware of them. Everything doesn’t have to turn into a fight,” Bonnie told her.  
  
“We should be able to talk about these things. It’s fine if you don’t want to get married or have kids, but you should be able to tell us without getting an attitude,” Kim added.  
  
The eldest amongst them growled again, but took a deep breath to calm down. “Why do you want kids? All they do is want stuff and whine and fight each other and try to come between the parents.”  
  
Both Kim and Bonnie appeared bewildered by that sentiment. It was not like Shego had had an awful childhood and when things did get sticky it for her it was because of her big brother. Her parents had also never shown a regret for having children, clearly loving each one as if they were the best things to ever happen.  
  
“Shego…” Bonnie stated, but did not finish. She did not know what to say, but Shego did not stick around anyway.  
  
They knew that she was going to the garden to think and they left her alone. Cali was hiding by then, upset that her question seemed to have sparked a fight. Bonnie and Kim decided to comfort the feline.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego sighed as she sat on the ledge around the roof. She called her father, wanting to talk to him. He simply told her that he would be right there. Barely thirty seconds later, he was sitting next to her.  
  
“All right, Shona, what’s up?” Kane inquired. His eyes were glowing yellow and a golden halo around him.  
  
“Your wife came around starting trouble. She’s putting all this crap in Kimmie’s head about marriage and kids,” Shego grumbled.  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“Like getting married. We can’t. There are three of us.”  
  
Kane waved that off. “Legally, you can set up most of the stuff that married couples have without being married. Marriage is more a promise to each other than anything else, which is why me and Isabel never had the ceremony. Even though we don’t remember it exactly, we made a promise to each other. Not to mention, we renew our vows like every ten years.”  
  
Emerald eyes widened. “You do?”  
  
A wide grin settled on his face and he leaned forward a little. “Oh, yeah. For us, it’s more personal than anything, which is why we do it alone. We just want to remind each other in a profound way that we’re here for each other, we still feel a deep love and affection for each other, and we’re going to stay with each other. It’s a special thing that seems to deepen our bond. Everybody doesn’t need to see, for us. The fact that we’re still together is enough proof for everybody else, but it helps the two of us.”  
  
Shego nodded, but she did not say anything. It was a lot to take in. Kane smiled again and put his arm around his daughter. She offered up no resistance and leaned against him a little.  
  
“As for the kids, you guys make me love your mother all the more and I couldn’t begin to tell you how important you kids are to both of us. You’re beyond special to me, but I know you know that, Shona. Our family is the best thing to ever happen to me. I wouldn’t give you guys up for anything. I love you.”  
  
“I know, Daddy, but I don’t know if I’m ready to share.”  
  
Kane laughed. “You don’t have to have the kids tomorrow. They have to respect the fact you’re not ready now if you guys have been talking kids.”  
  
Shego sighed. “They probably would if I respected the fact that they’re kinda ready. Do you think I’d do good with kids?”  
  
He laughed again and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You’d kick ass! I know you and your mom have your thing, but she wasn’t a horrible mother, right? And she and her mom have their thing, but you don’t think your grandma was horrible, right?”  
  
“Grandma is great. I don’t what Mommy’s deal is because Grandma is fucking awesome,” Shego declared. “What if I have a thing with my kids?”  
  
His forehead wrinkled. “You don’t like your thing with your mom? I thought you two got a kick out of it.”  
  
“No, I do. It’s how we click, but most people don’t get it. What if I have kids that get mixed messages, don’t get it, and then the thing becomes exactly what it looks like?”  
  
“There’s that chance, but you might not even have a thing. You didn’t have a thing with your mother until after she got better. Before that, you treated her like your brothers do. She hung the moon as far as you knew and you used to tell her that.”  
  
Shego gave silent nod. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. Kane just pulled her closer and she curled into her father. He smiled.  
  
“I think you’d all make great parents and you do have a huge support system,” he pointed out in a whisper.  
  
“You wanna be a grandpa?”     
  
“Someday. Whenever one of you kids decide to bless me with that, anyway. You can ask your mother, I’ve never in my life turned down kids.”  
  
Shego smiled because she knew that was true. They sat there quietly for a few minutes, leaning on each other. Then Shego stood up, feeling put together again. The pair hugged and Shego returned to her family while Kane ran back to wherever he came from.  
  
Bonnie and Kim were in the living room with Cali. They were watching a movie and snuggled together as closely as Kim’s injuries allotted them. Shego sat down with them.  
  
“Where’s Joss?” the former villain inquired.  
  
“Shower,” Bonnie replied simply.  
  
Shego nodded. “Look, my loves, I’m sorry if I seemed a little bonkers. Before you two, I never entertained the thought of marriage. Every relationship I had was an utter failure and then I couldn’t even form real attachments after a while. I don’t want to make waves for us. I want us to make it.”  
  
“We want us to make it, too. That’s one of the reasons we were talking about marriage,” Kim pointed out.  
  
“I know. I know. I just need time to take this all in. I’m definitely not ready to have kids,” Shego informed them.  
  
“Shego, you don’t have to be ready now. Just willing to talk,” Bonnie stated.  
  
“I know.”  
  
Silence fell on the living room. Joss joined them and they enjoyed the movie. As the night drew on Bonnie and Shego got ready for bed. They bathed Kim and Shego gently carried Kim to bed. Kim smiled when she touched the mattress, happy to be able to be moved and share their bed again without feeling like the bed was going to eat her. They were careful of her, but everyone was happy with set up. Cali lay at their feet and they fell asleep.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim’s Kimmunicator going off disturbed a quiet, peaceful night. Bonnie shot up from her pillow and Cali rolled off of the bed while Shego snarled, grabbing for the damned device. They knew the call was probably just family, but it was waking them right after they fell to asleep.  
  
“Yeah?” Shego demanded while Kim reached for the Kimmunicator. Shego passed it to her. “It’s the buffoon. Sounds like he’s crying.”  
  
“Crying?” Kim echoed in a groggy voice. “Ron?”  
  
“She turned me down, K. P! She ran away!” Ron bawled.  
  
“Wait, what? Who?” the redhead asked, rubbing her eyes and trying to clear her sleep-addled mind.

“Yori!”

“Yori? Yori said no?” Kim asked to be sure. She wiggled a bit, trying to sit up obviously. Shego helped by lifting her slightly while Bonnie put a pillow behind Kim. The hero smiled at both of them.    
  
“Yeah! She looked at me like I was crazy and then just ran off! Have you ever tried catching a master ninja in the freaking dark?”  
  
_Yeah, I have and I know how hard it is_ , she thought, but did not share. “Ron, calm down. She might’ve just been overwhelmed. Give her some time to sort herself out,” Kim advised him.  
  
“You sure?” he sniffled.  
  
“Yes, just give her time.”  
  
He sniffed again. “Okay. Thanks.”  
  
“No big. Get yourself together and give her time to process what you’re asking.”  
  
“Okay.” He disconnected the call.  
  
Kim sighed. “Yori turned him down.”  
  
“What? Why?” both women asked. Bonnie and Shego thought Ron’s engagement was a sure thing when they heard about the romantic night he had planned.  
  
“He didn’t say. She probably didn’t explain herself either. He just said she ran away after he asked,” the redhead reported.  
  
Bonnie and Shego did not have anything to say to that. They settled back down for sleep, but it was not as easy as they could have liked. Shego checked to make sure Cali was back on the bed. The feline was curled up, a little higher than usual, on the bed now. They all went back to sleep after thinking about how devastated Ron had to be. They all thought that was in the bag and, now, they had to wonder if there ever was a proposal that was “in the bag.” Was it worth the heartache to try? 

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, Yori,” Shego called to the ninja as they were getting ready for their classes.

“Yes?” Yori turned around the ex-thief could not help grimacing. The shinobi looked awful. She had a jaundiced pallor with dark circles under eyes.

“Have you been crying all night?” the older woman asked, even though she did not need an answer. “Is this because you turned Ron down on his marriage proposal?” she scowled deeply.

Yori gasped. “How do you know about this?”

“He called Kim last night, crying to her. Why did you turn him down? You two love each other to the point that it’s sickeningly obvious. You don’t want to get married?” Shego asked and watched as tears welled up in the younger woman’s eyes.  
  
“I do, but I am unworthy of Ron-kun! He is a world savior, an all-powerful master of our art, and the only person that Master Sensei trusted with Hana! I am a lowly kunoichi! What would I look like marrying the heir of our art and savior of the world? I am unworthy!” Yori hollered as hot tears poured down her face.  
  
Shego grabbed Yori by the shoulders. “Are you insane? He said you were worthy by asking you and he’s the only one that matters! Who cares what he is or did or who gave him what! He wants you and you want him! That’s all that matters. You’re punishing both of you over something completely ridiculous! Go out there and put that fucking ring on your finger, you silly girl!”  
  
“But-but-but…” Yori stammered.  
  
“No buts! Do you love him?”  
  
“Of course!” Yori affirmed with more tears in her eyes.  
  
“And does he love you?” 

“Yes!” The tears fell harder than before.

“And you want to marry him?”

“I do!” Yori bawled.

“Then go fucking accept his ring and make the both of you happy! It’s not going to anybody any good for you to mope around here!” Shego pointed out while shoving Yori out the door. The ninja did not turn around and walked on while Shego sighed. “I can’t believe her. She’s going to make them both miserable with bullshit. What the fuck is wrong with her?”

Of course, Shego felt a bit silly herself for giving out relationship advice considering her situation, but she liked Yori. She could not stand by and watch Yori ruin her life over some misplaced sense of honor. She hoped Yori returned all sorted out. But, she was not sure what to make of it when the shinobi did not return that day.

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, Princess, have you heard from your whiny best friend? His girlfriend dipped on me this morning,” Shego complained as she marched into the house.

“He called me earlier. He sounded out of breath, but said Yori said yes. He then hurried off of the phone for whatever reason,” Kim replied from her nest in the living room. She smiled when Shego came into view.

Shego laughed before greeting Kim with a kiss. “Glad it worked out for them. Yori better be in to work tomorrow, though.” Kim chuckled.

The next time that Shego saw Yori, the ninja was sporting a lovely white gold band with amethyst stones surrounding a diamond to go along with a grin wider than all outside. Shego could not help thinking if Kim and Bonnie would smile like that for the same reason. Her heart thumped heavy in her chest when she realized the thoughts going through her mind, but she did not try to stop them. In fact, they put a small, gentle smile on her. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim has physical therapy and there are… issues with it.


	7. Physiology 101 — How to Mend and Break Limbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I don’t own Mary Poppins either. I do own Isabel and Cali, though.

7: Physiology 101 — How to Mend and Break Limbs

  
“So, what do you have planned for today, Princess?” Shego asked curiously. The trio was having breakfast in the dining room, which they were trying to work their way back to doing. Kim could finally sit up on her own without them having to worry about her being in pain or falling out of her chair. 

Joss was still with them, but coming up to her last days at the lush apartment. Kim was getting better and would be starting her “serious physical therapy,” as they all referred to it. Joss had university classes she needed and wanted in the fall semester, so she had to go back to school.  
  
“Yori and Ron want help planning their wedding, so they’re going to come keep me company for a while and I’ll help them figure some things out. I think Mo’s in town again, so she might stop by,” Kim replied with a smile.  
  
“Are they paying you to act as wedding coordinator?” Shego teased.  
  
“I’m only helping. They’ll be doing most of the planning,” Kim answered, childishly sticking her tongue out at Shego.

Somehow, Shego refrained in making a sexual comment, mindful of the fact that Kim had not had sex since _the incident_. Of course, that also meant Shego and Bonnie had not had sex with Kim for months. The thought made Shego groan and she shook the whole thing away, getting back to the matter at hand.  
  
“Don’t give them a bunch of good ideas. We’ll need some for our wedding,” Shego remarked.  
  
The whole place went quiet, except for the clank of silverware onto the plates. All eyes went to the former thief. Shego had a ton of practice in pretending what she said was normal, so she continued on eating.

Bonnie and Kim decided to let Shego have that one instead of making a fuss. They were possibly one step closer to having a wedding. They shared a glance and a quick smile before moving on.  
  
“Bonnie, how’s work going?” Kim asked. Bonnie had not complained about work for a while, so Kim hoped that was a good thing.  
  
“Work’s going great now that I don’t have to worry about Heather bothering me or Lyle harassing me. Speaking of Heather, is your cousin still seeing her, Shego?” Bonnie inquired.    
  
“Yup. Francesca’s totally smitten. So, that monkey should remain off your back,” Shego replied with a smile. That response got smiles out of both of her girls.

“I hope Heather’s sincere about her feelings with your cousin,” Kim said.

Shego shrugged. “If not, Francesca will make her regret it. She’s generally laid-back until someone crosses her. So, for Heather’s sake, she better be genuine or she’ll be sorry.” Kim and Bonnie shrugged, too. It sounded like Francesca could handle herself.  
  
They finished up their breakfast with Joss clearing the table. Cali helped the college student, which earned her odd looks from her humans. They had a feeling Cali was going to be heartbroken when Joss left, even if she was just being helpful because of Kim’s condition. The feline had never cleaned up after herself, let alone others, until Kim was injured and then Joss showed up, making her do it even more so.  
  
“How long are Ron and Yori going to be here?” Bonnie asked curiously as she grabbed her jacket and briefcase.  
  
“I don’t know. Probably until noon. I know Yori’s going to her afternoon classes,” Kim answered.  
  
“Is your physical therapist coming today?” Bonnie knew she was, but felt complied to ask to be sure.  
  
“Yup. She should be here around one,” the redhead replied.  
  
“All right.”  
  
Bonnie kissed Kim farewell and turned to give Shego the same. Shego then kissed Kim and the working pair left. Kim sighed; she missed working. She missed her “creepy” students and their “Kim-esque” devotion. She managed to push the emotions down as Cali came over, still in her humanoid form.  
  
“Want me to carry you to the nest?” the feline asked.  
  
Kim chuckled over the fact that they even had Cali calling it a nest. “Yes, thank you.” She wished she could walk, but her legs were much too weak for that. She hoped the physical therapy got her back into being _Kim Possible_.  
  
Cali grinned, always happy to be of service. She carefully gathered her redheaded human in her arms, just as Shego had shown her how, and carried the hero to her resting place in the living room. Kim reached up petted Cali as thanks, which got merry purrs from the cat-girl.  
  
“Joss is gonna give me salmon for being so good,” Cali reported with a smile.  
  
“You deserve it. You’ve been good for a long time,” Kim replied and Cali visibly preened.  
  
Cali changed back into her cat form. There were safe places for her to cuddle into Kim now, but she knew she still had to make sure most of her body weight was not on Kim. While she would prefer to drop herself on Kim as she used to, she was fine with just being able to feel Kim’s body heat. Plus, the hero caressed her whenever she was close and that was always enough for Cali.  
  
They lounged quietly with Joss joining them a little later. Joss turned the television on and they watched a science show that the college student enjoyed. It put Cali right to sleep. Kim was interested and she talked about it with Joss until Ron and Yori arrived.  
  
“Hey, Kim’s parked in the living room like always,” Joss told the couple, planning to make herself scarce while the friends worked.  
  
“Uh… thanks, Joss,” Ron said hesitantly, a small wince on his face. He was always nervous around her and she only recently figured out why.  
  
She laughed. “Don’t worry. I got over you a long time ago.”  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, let me introduce you to my fiancée. Joss, meet Yori. Yori, this is Kim’s cousin.” He motioned to both of them.  
  
“Pleased to meet you,” Joss said, offering her hand to the ninja.  
  
Yori was halfway into a bow when she recalled where she was, so she shook Joss’ hand and then bowed. “It is my honor to meet you. Thank you for having me in your home.”  
  
Joss smiled. “Well, it’s not really my home, but Kim is waiting for y’all. I wish ya luck in the planning.”  
  
Ron and Yori nodded and marched into the living room. Joss went to get her laptop to keep busy and sat in the office area while the group spoke about the upcoming wedding. Monique showed up a little while later and they continued on. The wedding talk affected Joss in a funny way. She entertained the thought of Kim and her girlfriends getting married.  
  
Of course, it would not be legal, but she heard them arguing enough to know that did not matter much anymore. She wondered if they would all wear dresses, if Shego would wear black and green, and if Kane and her uncle James would walk their daughters down the aisle. If that were the case, would Bonnie have to wait at the altar like a groom? She doubted Bonnie would do that. She doubted Shego and Kim would let Bonnie do that.  
  
She could only wonder how the trio would set up their wedding. But, she figured they would work it out. After all, she had wondered how they worked as a trio instead of a couple, but they had figured out how to work that out. They figured it out well.  
  
Joss had thought they would be creepy or at least strange when she first showed up to help, but they were extremely normal, even with Kim being banged up. No one seemed to get more attention or affection than any other. They all seemed to be equal to each other and Joss felt that was how relationships should be. She was not sure how they managed it, but they did, and she felt oddly proud of them.  
  
She was able to finish up some work for the online courses that she was taking in lieu of physical classes before the guests begin to file out. Joss waved to them and was about to get started on lunch, but Shego came in and started doing that without an explanation. Joss shrugged it off and went to hang out with her cousin again.

“So, how’s the wedding planning? Is it going to be super awesome?” the college student inquired.

Kim shrugged. “We didn’t get that far. We found a bunch of venues for them to have it.” She then leaned over, only slightly, obviously wanting to share a secret. “I saw the most generous place for a wedding if me, Shego, and Bonnie do get to it.” 

Joss grinned. “You have to show me!”

“Get your laptop.”

Joss nodded and rushed off to retrieve her computer from the office desk. Kim typed in the web address and the place appeared on screen. Joss’ mouth dropped open.

“Oh, my god, Kim, it’s beautiful,” Joss whispered.

“I know, right? Couldn’t you see us all there?” the hero asked with a smile and her cousin could only nod. The simple gesture made Kim’s smile grow. “Hey, Joss, I know we never really talked about it, but thank you for being so cool with this.”

Scoffing, Joss waved her off. “It’s no big, cousin. I support you no matter what, just like you’d do me. Besides, you three work. Sure, it’s not conventional, but, hell, our family has never been conventional. Plus, I like Bonnie and Shego. They take care of you and make you happy, like a partner should.”

Another smile tugged at Kim’s lips. Her cousin was amazing. “They do.”

“Now, if there was something wrong here, I definitely would’ve said something to you because we do have to look out for each other, but y’all are fine.” Joss then looked at her cousin. “Well, relatively speaking anyway. I’m happy you have such a good family, Kim.”

Kim’s chest swelled with happiness and pride. “I hope you find this type of happiness one day, Joss. You’re a good person.”

Joss grinned and the conversation was cut short as Shego announced that lunch was done. Joss made sure to close her laptop, so Shego did not accidentally see the venue that Kim wanted for a wedding that they had not even agreed on. The cousins shared a secret smile.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie sat at her desk, not even thinking about lunch. She had finished up her work for the most part and now the only thing on her mind was the topic of the day thanks to Ron and Yori — marriage. All she wanted to do was look at rings now, find the perfect pair, and image slipping them as her lovers’ fingers.  
  
“So many to choose from,” Bonnie mumbled to herself, jotting down notes and emailing links to herself. After all, it would be inappropriate to bookmark such things on her work computer.  
  
She wanted to find a set, so Kim and Shego would have matching rings. So, she needed to find rings that would suit both of them. She felt like that would not be too hard as Shego was like Kim, but with much less ambition and a little less self-righteous. Of course, the colors that represented both of them as far as they were concerned were rather far off from each other.  
  
“But, there’s no rule that says I have to go by their colors. There has to be something that represents all of us, what we have, what we feel, and what we’re about,” she assured herself.  
  
She was not sure what she was going to do if she did find the perfect set of rings. Well, except buy them. _Doesn’t hurt to be prepared_. If only Shego would just let go, she could propose the second the rings came into her possession.  
  
“I wonder if Isabel and Ann could work whatever magic they used on Kim with Shego?” She shook her head to that. “If Isabel ever told Shego to marry us, it’d be a death sentence to that happening.”  
  
She could already hear the yelling from Shego. She supposed she could live a hundred years and she would never understand Shego’s relationship with Isabel. At least Ann and Kim made prefect mother-daughter sense to her.  
  
“I’m the last person who should be judging how daughters get along with their mothers,” she pouted. Her relationship with her own mother had died long ago, even though her mother did not know it. But, her mother was purposely obtuse, which was an obvious way to survive the Rockwaller clan.  
  
She shook that thought away, knowing that path led to depression and madness. Instead, she went back to looking it rings and imagining a wedding with her two beautiful and wonderful girlfriends. _It’ll be glorious when it happens_. And, considering Shego’s surprising shift that morning, she had some hope it would actually happen. She just was not sure how long it would take.  
  
She checked the time and saw it was time for Kim to start her physical therapy. She decided to call, just find out how it was going. She was not surprised Joss answered the phone.  
  
“Hey, Joss. How’s the patient and her next step?” Bonnie inquired.  
  
“The physical therapist just got here. She’s setting up in the living room,” Joss replied.  
  
“Kimmie’s ready for this?”  
  
“Yeah, she seems hyped and ready to go. She wants to get back to normal. I think they’re about to get started.”  
  
“Okay, tell Kim I wish her luck.”  
  
“You know I will.”  
  
“Thank you, Joss.”

-8-8-8-8-

Joss disconnected the call with Bonnie a peeked in on Kim with her physical therapist and deliver Bonnie’s message. Shego was there, too, for support and just in case. Shego could not stick around for the whole time, having classes to teach, but she wanted to see what the physical therapist was all about. She wanted to see some basic exercises, so she could help Kim with later on.  
  
“Take notes for me, Joss, and make sure Cali keeps her fat ass out of that living room and away from Kim while she’s working,” Shego ordered when she had to go.  
  
Joss nodded, knowing that was all that the older woman needed. Shego was gone before Joss’ head stopped moving. Joss glanced in the living room to see Kim grimacing through her exercises and Cali pacing around not too far away. She went and picked up the cat.  
  
“Let’s get you some cream and out of the way,” Joss said, earning a hiss from the overprotective feline. Joss gave Cali an incredulous look. “You don’t want cream? That’s a surprise.”  
  
Cali only hissed again. Joss held onto the cat and poured her some cream, as promised. She also fed Cali some beef cubes, which they recently discovered Cali loved. The trio supposed that was the dog in Cali. Despite the treats, Cali was still very interested in what was going on in the living room.  
  
Joss was curious because of Cali’s nosiness. The college student peeked into the living room and thought all was normal. The physical therapist was a cute woman, all smiles that made her warm brown eyes shine, and completely encouraging. Joss was ready to dismiss the scene and just call Cali paranoid, but the cat might have been onto something.  
  
The physical therapist’s touch seemed to linger for too long. Her lashes seemed to bat a little too much. Joss shook her head. _I’m probably seeing things, hanging around too many women or something_. But, just to be sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her, she took another gander into the living room.  
  
“Cali, does that look right to you?” Joss asked.  
  
Cali shook her head and abandoned her snack. She went to the living room entrance, but did not go in. She sat down and stared at the newcomer. It was the first time that Joss saw a cat glare.

-8-8-8-8-

“So, how was physical therapy? Do you like the therapist?” Bonnie asked Kim as the whole household gathered in the living room to relax and watch a movie. Cali hissed as soon as the woman was mentioned, which earned her a look from Bonnie and Shego.  
  
“What happened?” Shego demanded, eyes on Kim.    
  
Kim threw her hands up in surrender, making her wince. “Nothing happened! It was a regular session as far as I know. Maybe because it was intense and I made a lot of noise and Cali thought she was hurting me.”  
  
Shego turned to the cat. “Cali, was that it?” Cali shook her head and Shego’s attention went back to Kim. “Try again, Princess.”  
  
“I don’t know what Cali’s problem is. Maybe she just didn’t like having a stranger in the house.” Kim shrugged and then turned to the feline. “Cali, what’s the problem?”  
  
Cali’s little kitty face twisted and she had to roll over from the couch onto the floor to change into her humanoid form. “I didn’t like the way she touched Kimmie.”  
  
“Aw, Cali,” the hero cooed. “She wasn’t purposely hurting me. It just hurts because I’m still healing and my body isn’t used to the movement anymore.”  
  
“That wasn’t it,” Cali protested and she pouted. Staring at the floor briefly, she was clearing trying to figure out how to explain herself. “She was touching you… like petting. She was petting you and the smell wasn’t right.” That earned her puzzled looks from Bonnie and Shego.  
  
“What do you mean the smell wasn’t right?” Bonnie managed to ask.  
  
Cali paused again, eyes on the floor again. “Hmm… she smelled different when she touched Kimmie than when she came in. It was… spicy.”  
  
An ebony eyebrow arched and Shego’s gaze went back to Kim. “Spicy? What the hell happened after I left?”  
  
“Nothing! I don’t know what Cali’s talking about. While this was my first time in physical therapy, I don’t think anything strange went on and both of our mothers recommended her!” Kim defended herself.  
  
“Why are you believing my mother?” Shego practically screamed.  
  
Bonnie turned to Joss. “What do you think, Joss? Was something funny going on with the physical therapist?”  
  
Joss scratched her head. “I’m not sure. She seemed mighty friendly, but that could just be her personality. I mean, Kim didn’t say anything, so maybe that was just how she was.”  
  
“I didn’t notice anything, but I was too busy feeling like I was being broken for the second time,” Kim conceded.  
  
Her lovers frowned almost simultaneously, but they did not dispute Kim’s words. They turned their attention back to the movie while Cali returned to her more comfortable feline form and settled next to Joss on the sofa again. The atmosphere relaxed, but Kim knew that was not the end of it. Not for Shego or Bonnie.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie and Shego met up for lunch at one of their favorite cafes. Bonnie plopped several papers in front of Shego, which the older woman immediately flipped through. Bonnie, meanwhile, ordered their lunch.  
  
“Everything checks out with her?” Shego asked incredulously.  
  
“According to Wade, she’s totally legit. Your mom and Ann wouldn’t recommend any idiot,” Bonnie pointed out.  
  
Shego made a sour face, her pale features twisting, and kept looking through the papers, as if her gaze would make the words change. Bonnie did not say anything about the stressful behavior. She wondered if they worrying for nothing.  
  
“What if Joss is right? What if she’s just friendly?” the lawyer said.  
  
Shego sighed, as if in surrender. “I hope you’re right, Duchess. We haven’t been able to touch Kim in months, I’ll be damned if the first sexual attention she gets comes from some touchy-feely physical therapist who she doesn’t realize is getting off on feeling her up.”  
  
Bonnie laughed a bit. “I think you might just be frustrated, sexually frustrated mostly.”  
  
“I’m not sexually frustrated,” Shego argued with a bit of a glare. Of course, their sex lives had slowed to a crawl with Kim’s injuries, but they had not really been thinking about sex for the same reason.  
  
“You’re longing for Kimmie’s touch. You don’t have to deny it. It’s not like it’ll insult or upset me. I know how you feel, after all,” Bonnie pointed out.  
  
“Of course, I miss her touch. We work as a trio, so when it’s just you and me, it doesn’t seem right. I mean, I love you and love being with you—” Shego stopped taking when she felt Bonnie’s hand covering her own.  
  
“Love, you know I’m the last person you have to explain this to. I know exactly how you feel. I just think it might be because we’re so off balance right now, we might be overreacting with the physical therapist. She looks perfect on paper and Kim needs and deserves perfect.”  
  
“Perfect on paper doesn’t equal perfect,” Shego grumbled.  
  
“Well, until Mary Poppins decides to show up, let’s give her a chance,” Bonnie remarked, giving Shego’s hand a squeeze.  
  
Shego frowned, but she went along with that reasoning for the moment. They ate lunch and Shego kept the file that Bonnie had Wade draw up for them. It did not escape Bonnie’s attention, but she left it alone. While she could calm Shego down, she could not stop her from being paranoid. She just hoped nothing too crazy happened.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was supposed to be at lunch, but she had no one to have lunch with. Bonnie had a meeting with a client and Kim was with her physical therapist. She figured she could go grab a bite and then do some practicing. And, it would give her an excuse to see the physical therapist and how she touched Kim.    
  
Shego eased into the apartment, purposely being quiet. Cali noticed her immediately, turning from the entrance of the living room. The cat seemed to light up as Shego stepped over. Emerald eyes peered into the living room and a scowl sliced its way onto her face. Cali pawed at her pants’ leg as if trying to push her into action. Shego watched until Kim spotted her.  
  
“Shego, come to help?” Kim asked with a sparkle in her eyes, but her mouth was turned down as if to keep in a wince.  
  
“Actually, I came to see what the hell was going on here and to fire this unprofessional bitch,” Shego replied calmly, like that was a normal thing to say.  
  
“Excuse me!” the physical therapist gasped.  
  
“I’ve been watching you! You’re feeling her up while she’s concentrating on whatever painful move you’ve got her doing! She’s more focused on the stuff that hurts than the fact that your hand has been on her tit for five minutes!” Shego said while marching over. Cali followed right behind her.  
  
“I’m not feeling her up! I’m doing my job!” The woman had the nerve to look offended, even though Shego just saw the whole thing.  
  
“Your job isn’t to feel Kimmie up!” Shego barked. “You’re fucking fired!” She pointed to the door.  
  
“You can’t fire me!”  
  
“I just did! You’re fired, so get the fuck out! Believe me when I tell you that you don’t want me to throw you out,” Shego promised, folding her arms across her chest and glaring down at the woman.  
  
“You should go,” Kim told her.  
  
The physical therapist’s mouth dropped open. “You’re letting her fire me?”  
  
“Well, considering the fact that she pays your salary and I have to live with her,” Kim replied with a shrug… well, the closest she could come to a shrug.  
  
“Yeah, so don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Shego said, pointing to the door one more time, just in case the woman had no idea where it was.  
  
The physical therapist wisely decided to not argue. She gathered her things, gave Kim a quick glance before giving Shego the dirtiest look ever, and left the apartment, slamming the door on the way out. Shego released a snort as she took a seat on the couch.  
  
“So, you didn’t think it was weird that she touched your boob for, like, five minutes, seriously?” Shego inquired with an arched eyebrow.  
  
Kim shook her head. “I thought she was trying to brace me while we went through the exercises. Besides, like you said, I’m concentrating on the exercises. I don’t keep track of how long she touches me or where.”  
  
Shego sighed and rubbed her forehead. “We gotta get you a new physical therapist.”  
  
“I’ll talk to our moms again. Maybe I should go out for treatment, if only to avoid being felt up. Besides, I haven’t been outside in months. It would be nice to get some fresh air,” Kim pointed out.  
  
Shego gave her a long look. “You think you’re ready for outside?”  
  
The hero nodded. “I’d like to go out.”  
  
“I think you’re right. We need to talk to the Duchess about this before we decide anything.”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
They were silent for a while before Shego broke it. “Where’s Joss?”  
  
“Shower. She worked for a while and wanted to freshen up. What’re you doing up here?”  
  
“I didn’t have anything to eat for lunch. Have you had lunch?” Shego asked.  
  
Kim shook her head. “I had a snack. I usually eat more after a physical therapy session. You’ll make something?”  
  
Shego nodded and went to work. Cali followed her out of the living room, even though she knew that she would be underfoot and annoy Shego. Surprisingly enough, the pale woman did not yell at Cali once.  
  
“You know, even though you’re a fat, whiny brat, you do good some time. What do you want — fish, chicken, or beef?” Shego asked as she looked through the refrigerator for lunch.  
  
Cali jumped up to have a look herself. She pointed at some chicken with her paw and tapped the milk. Shego smiled and gave the cat just what she wanted. She fixed a couple of sandwiches for her, Kim, and Joss. Lunch was a quiet affair.

-8-8-8-8-

“So, you fired her?” Bonnie asked to be sure. She was with her lovers in their living room. Joss was giving them some privacy by chilling in her room.  
  
“Hell, yeah, I fired her! She was feeling Kimmie up,” Shego repeated for what seemed like the millionth time.  
  
Bonnie nodded. “So, what now?” She turned to Kim. “You need a physical therapist to help you get better. I know you can do anything, but I think you need a professional to help you.”  
  
“You’re right, I do. I’m going to ask Mom and Isabel for someone new and I want to go out for treatment. I’m ready to go out,” the redhead replied.  
  
Bonnie sighed, thinking it over. She knew Shego and Kim had already talked it over. Reaching out, she took Kim’s hand as gently as possible, but she did not look into those deep olive eyes.  
  
“I’m scared for you going out,” the lawyer admitted in a low voice.  
  
“I know you are. I know how much I scare you, baby. I wish I didn’t,” Kim said.  
  
A sorrowful laugh escaped Bonnie. “You wouldn’t be _you_ if you didn’t do stuff that scares me half to death. I fell in love with you because you’re brave, kindhearted, and extremely reckless at the best of times and people take advantage of you sometimes. Even that slightly naïve part of you is cute and makes me love you all the more. I worry about more of those people finding you. But, I can’t chain you to the couch. Hell, we can’t even keep the cat in the house.”  
  
Kim chuckled. “I’ll be careful.”  
  
“Yeah, and I’m having Mommy walk you into this physical therapist and sit there the whole time,” Shego proclaimed.  
  
Kim opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. She knew it would make them feel better if she had a bodyguard/babysitter. Shego had to be extremely nervous if she was proposing that Isabel do something for them.  
  
“So, I can call our moms?” Kim asked with a bright smile.  
  
“Don’t let my mother hand you another bullshit person either. We want someone legit who isn’t looking into their own happy ending,” Shego ordered.  
  
Kim only laughed. She would get in touch with their mothers as soon as possible and hopefully the second time would be the charm. She hated to consider what would happen if she needed a third time.

-8-8-8-8-

“Are you sure it’s safe to let her go out on her own?” Bonnie asked Shego. They were sitting down at their café for lunch.  
  
Shego scoffed. “She’ll be fine.” It would have been easier to believe her if she had not glanced away.  
  
“But, all of those people out there… her enemies and stuff. They’ll see her and know she’s not a full strength. They’ll know she’s vulnerable. They already tried to go crazy when she disappeared from the public,” Bonnie said, breathing increasing as she thought of all of the people that wanted to harm their lover.    
  
Emerald eyes rolled. “I had that covered. Well, me, Ron, Yori, Wade, and both sets of the twins had it covered.” One never really appreciated how much the woman that could do anything did until trying to pick up where she left off. She was exhausted just remembering it.  
  
“Well, what if someone who doesn’t like her sees her while she’s like this?” Bonnie pointed out, close to hyperventilating. Her girlfriend reached over and clutched her hand.  
  
“Calm down before I have to pull you into my lap in public and cradle you like a baby. Do you want to risk someone from work seeing the legal rottweiler in my lap like a baby?”  
  
Bonnie frowned, but she managed to relax her breathing. “She could get hurt.”  
  
“Nah, that’s why I sent her with my mom and Joss. Joss put Cali in a bag and took her, too. I think Kim’s safe.” Someone would probably have to simply bomb the block if they wanted to harm Kim with all of the help she had.  
  
Bonnie actually nodded. That was three lines of defense for Kim and none of them would go gently into that good night. Hell, Kim would probably be able to pull off a miracle if push came to shove. She squeezed Shego’s hand.  
  
“Thank you,” Bonnie whispered.  
  
Shego smiled. “I look after my girls. I’m not going let anything happen to either of you.”  
  
“We’re lucky to have you.”  
  
“We’re lucky to have each other. Now, we just need to keep each other.”  
  
Bonnie smiled and nodded. They finished their lunch and then went back to work. When they got home, they both wanted to ask the same thing. They had the patience to wait until they were all together to ask.      
  
“So, how was physical therapy?” Bonnie finally blurted out.  
  
“It was great. We practically made an event of it. Cali loved it,” Kim beamed as she spoke.  
  
Bonnie turned to Joss. “You let Cali out?”  
  
Joss shrugged. “They allow pets. Apparently, it’s good for the healing process. Everybody wanted to pet and cuddle her. She was in heaven.” She looked down at the cat, who wiggled around on her lap.  
  
“Okay, so, fatty had a good time, but how’d it go for you, Princess?” Shego asked.  
  
“I loved it! It hurt after not using these muscles and bones for so long, but Cole, that’s my physical therapist, was patient and encouraging. Plus, our moms helped, too. It was so wonderful,” Kim answered with a grin.  
  
Shego could not help laughing. “I hope it’s always like that for you, Princess, and you get back to yourself quickly.”  
  
“She will. Kim’s been super determined,” Joss declared proudly.  
  
“Then keep on doing it, baby,” Bonnie said before leaning over and kissing Kim’s forehead. The redhead grinned even more.

-8-8-8-8-

Joss whistled. “Cali, come on! We’re leaving!” She stood with Isabel and Ann. Kim was sitting in a wheelchair, even though she could actually stand and walk on her own now. She just could not do it for long periods of time, especially after an intense session of physical therapy.  
  
Cali charged out and usually she jumped on one of them to be carried to the car, but she stopped at the door. Isabel glanced around as did Kim. For a moment, Joss was lost and then she figured it out.  
  
“Ann, please take Kim back inside,” Isabel requested as she cracked her knuckles.  
  
Ann knew about the danger her daughter might be in, so she did not ask questions. Kim did not protest as her mother wheeled her back inside. Isabel turned to Joss.  
  
“I hope your bragging about being a mini-Kim was more truth than an attempt to impress me, Joss,” Isabel commented as almost a dozen ninjas came out of nowhere.  
  
“Hey, Kim and Shego vouched for me!” Joss reminded her. They both tucked into their fighting stances as the ninjas came at them.    
  
Cali stayed by the door, the last line of defense in case someone made it past the two martial artists. Isabel and Joss had things well in hand, but one ninja managed to get by them. Cali roared as she changed into her humanoid form and tackled him. He probably did not know what hit him as she used her massive paw to slap him into unconsciousness.  
  
“Good girl,” Isabel called as she floored a ninja with a swift kick.  
  
“Remind me to give you extra cream,” Joss added as she flipped a ninja over her shoulder.  
  
Cali grinned and then threw her fallen opponent at a ninja creeping up behind Joss. The trio downed all of the ninjas and then rushed back into the building for Kim and Ann. Isabel picked Kim up and Cali took charge of Ann and they rushed to the SUV that Isabel rented just for the trip. Ann had to drive it, though. Kane made it very clear that the closest Isabel was to ever get to driving should be riding shotgun.  
  
“What the heck was that about?” Joss huffed.  
  
“Call Shego and have her get in touch with Wade. He might be able to tell us what that was about,” Kim proposed. She had not gotten her Kimmunicator back yet and she doubt she would anytime soon. She was still on a hero timeout.  
  
“I’ve got it,” Isabel volunteered. She knew that a lot of yelling was about to go down. She did not want the yelling to be directed at Joss after such a wonderful show of force.

-8-8-8-8-

“Are you okay?” Shego demanded as Kim and the rest of the group came inside. Isabel was carrying Kim and took her to the couch.  
  
“I’m fine. My bodyguards did their thing,” Kim replied with a smile. Shego still looked her over, though.  
  
“Well, at least Mommy’s good for something,” Shego grumbled as she settled down next to Kim.  
  
“Leave your mom alone. Did Wade figure out what that was all about?” the redheaded hero asked.  
  
“He said there’s a bounty on your head since people now know you’re injured. He’s looking into who put the bounty on your head. I had a thought while I was talking to him. Why don’t we get him to scan the furball to figure out what’s going on with her genes? You used to have him scan stuff all the time.”  
  
“We were keeping her a secret once upon a time,” Kim reminded her lover.  
  
“Well, he’s seen her on the cameras as he was analyzing the attack on you. He wanted to know about her. He’s the one that reminded me he could analyze her. He’s curious about her, but I told him to focus on finding who put a bounty out on you,” Shego said.  
  
“I’ll look into, too,” Isabel declared, taking out her phone and calling her husband.  
  
“If you find out…” Shego said to her mother, who nodded. She knew her mother might find out things faster than Wade since she had underground connections. It was just that Wade was more likely to report his findings than Isabel was.

“Maybe we should just let Wade handle it,” Kim said. She did not mind the fact that Isabel would use underground connections or even illegal methods. Hell, some of what Wade did was not exactly legal. It was just that she did not know what Isabel might do once she found out who it was. At least Wade would contact her and let her know who put a price on her head.

“Wouldn’t it be better for more than one person to look into it?” Isabel pointed out.

“Yes, but Wade needs something to do just as much as the rest of us. So, let him handle this, please?” Kim requested. It was true. She knew Wade liked to do what he could.  
  
Isabel sighed, but she did not argue. Eventually, Isabel left with Ann. Shego sighed and gave Kim a weary look. Kim reached out and took a pale hand in hers.  
  
“Hey, I’m okay. It’s okay,” Kim said.  
  
“No, it’s not,” Shego sighed again. “We still have to tell Bonnie what happened,” she groaned.  
  
Kim made the same noise. “Not it!” she called.  
  
Emerald eyes went wide. “What? No! You can’t call ‘not it’ on this!”  
  
Kim scoffed. “I just did. I’ll sit with you when you tell her, but you’re telling her.”  
  
Shego huffed. “You’re lucky I love you.”  
  
“I know I am and I love you, but you’re still telling her,” Kim laughed and then leaned over, kissing Shego’s cheek. Despite the weak attempt on her life or maybe because of it, Kim felt truly normal for the first time in a long time, as did Shego. They knew sometime soon everything would be back to normal. Everything would be fine… after they told Bonnie about what happened anyway.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: who put the bounty on Kim’s head.


	8. Biomechanics 211 — How to Flex Strong Muscles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Isabel, though.

8: Biomechanics 211 — How to Flex Strong Muscles

“Kim, you’re incredible. I don’t think I’ve had a patient as dedicated as you are,” Cole, her physical therapist, praised her as they finished up their session. He smiled at her and she smiled back. 

“Would you expect anything less from a Possible who is also my daughter-in-law?” Isabel inquired with a proud tilt of her head from her seat by the wall.

Ann went to Kim’s side, handing her a towel to wipe her face. Kim always built up a sweat during her sessions, pushing herself as far as she could go and then beyond, like she did with everything in her life. Kim smiled her thanks to her mother.

Cole chuckled as he answered Isabel’s question. “No, I never would. Same time in two days?”

“We’ll be here,” Kim promised with a grin as she put the towel away in her backpack. She then downed almost a whole bottle of Gatorade without stopping. She grinned while disposing of the bottle in the proper place. She was finally beginning to feel good physically, like she could do things. She was not her old self yet, but she could feel herself on the right path.

“Do you want the wheelchair?” Ann asked.

“No, Mom, I think I can actually walk to the car,” Kim declared proudly. She would have to do it with a cane and she would probably work up another sweat, but she could do it.

“Be sure to stay close then, dear,” Isabel requested.

The hero nodded. The group of four — Joss was there with them as always — bid the physical therapist farewell and then started for the door. Joss whistled before they got to the exit and Cali rushed away from some patients. She hopped on Joss’ shoulder as they stepped through the door. The cat then sighed, along with all of the other warriors.

“I wished they gave this a rest already. They’re not even any good!” Joss groaned, throwing her hands up.

“Kim,” Isabel said.

“I know, I know. We’re going inside,” Kim sighed, returning into the building with her mother.

“Do you think this’ll happen every time you come out now?” Ann asked, rubbing her forehead. The first couple of times villains showed up outside the facility gunning for her daughter, she was frightened and worried for her baby girl, but now she was just irritated, right along with the rest of them.

“I guess. I’m surprised they keep trying this. I mean, it’s virtually impossible for them to get past Isabel, Joss, and Cali. You’d think they’d come up with something else,” Kim pointed out with a frown.

Ann shook her head. “This is the only place they can do this because this is the only place you go. I’m sure by now most villains know they can’t get into your home and they don’t want to chance running into Shego.”

Kim giggled at the idea of anyone trying to come into their home with Shego around. She was certain that the person would end up calling the cops and beg to be taken to jail. She would not be surprised if that was the case with the guys outside, too. After all, Isabel was Shego without the plasma powers, but she did like to scold people while she was fighting, so she was just as irksome.

“Come on, they’re down,” Joss said, poling her head through the front door.

Kim nodded and the two redheads walked out. Kim took in the sight of bodies laid out, all incapacitated and littering the sidewalks. Some were hanging from signs or trees and stuck in bushes. From the uniforms, she could tell they worked for WEE. The bounty on her head was getting beyond troublesome now.

“When is Wade going to find who put that price on your head?” Joss huffed as they piled into the SUV with Ann behind the steering wheel.

“He says he’s looking, but the person was really careful. You have to remember that he’s been doing this for ten years, so people are very aware of how competent he is, so they’re now trying to cut him off whenever they can. He’ll find out who, though,” Kim defended her friend.

“It’d be nice if he did that sometime this century,” Isabel said, folding her arms across her chest. “I would’ve found them by now.”

“Isabel, please, let Wade do his job,” Kim implored. She knew that once Isabel lost patience, she would look into it. She just hoped that Wade found the person first because she suspected that if Isabel found the person first, she would kill the person. She was petty sure that Isabel and Kane had already done that to the crew who originally injured her and that was why they never brought it up. Although, Shego liked to assure her that Isabel and Kane did not kill people. Still, it seemed weird that they never told her what happened with the people who hurt her. She had not heard of a trial or been called about them either, so she doubted they were in jail like she wanted.

Joss glanced behind them and changed the subject. “Uh… Aunt Ann, I think we’re being followed.”

Kim looked back to double check. “Yeah, Mom, Joss’ right.”

“I’m on it,” Ann replied, glancing in the rearview mirror.

“At least these guys have tried a different venue,” Isabel commented, sounding quite bored with the whole matter. Kim could only wonder what did surprise and excite Isabel in terms of action.

The group following them quickly made themselves known. Four motorcycles boxed them in and familiar blond rode up to the driver’s side. Motor Ed glared at Ann while other motorcycles came up behind them.

“Yo, hand over Red, like, seriously!”  Motor Ed commanded, pointing into the car.

“I don’t think so!” Ann replied and made a surprising move, swirling the SUV into his bike.

“Whoa, you’re totally crazy, seriously!” he barked, managing to dip out of the way.

Isabel laughed and clapped. “Run that fucker down!” Okay, so apparently this was what surprised and excited Isabel.

“Yeah, Aunt Ann! Show them that this can’t fuck with us Possibles!” Joss proclaimed.

“Joss!” Ann scolded her all the while stepping on the gas in order to mow down the lackey in front of them.

Isabel laughed again. “You said it right, Joss!”

“Don’t encourage her to talk like that,” Ann told her friend. 

“They’re merely words used to express one’s self and emphasis a point. Nothing horrible. Now, show us your driving skills to make sure these bastards don’t fuck with us again,” Isabel declared with a hoot.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Ann sighed before narrowly dodging a missile fired at them from behind. “Hold on everyone. I haven’t done this in a while.”

Kim could only wonder what her mother meant as the brain surgeon floored it, effectively getting rid of the bike in front of them. Ann exactly went over the motorcycling and they could hear the metal scraping along the road. More missiles whistled through the air and Ann evaded them with quick moves that should have been impossible in the bulky SUV. Motor Ed tried to push his way back over to the car, but as soon as he was close, Ann swerved to hit him again.

“All right, enough playing games! I want Red, seriously!” the blond biker barked, pointing at their vehicle.

Suddenly, the roar of motorcycles increased and there was an armada of bikes behind them. Ann had to dodge more missiles and rammed a couple of bikes to the side of them. She hit the brakes and caused a few of the bikes to run into them before flooring it again.

“Excellent driving skills, my dear!” Isabel grinned. “Now, if you could pull closer to that gentleman with the chain, so I might arm myself.”

Ann did just that. Isabel rolled down the window and simply yanked the man’s chair away as he swung it. He made a noise something like a yelp and a growl, turning, as if he planned to retaliate. She did not give him a chance as she opened her door to knock the man away. 

“Cali, Joss, if you could,” Isabel requested.

“Sounds like fun!” Joss declared.

Cali, of course, seemed confused because Isabel did not state outright what she wanted, but the cat followed Joss, who slipped out the back though the window. Joss jumped on a nearby ATV, kicking the driver in the face while she was at it. She laughed as she took control and then accidentally fired off some missiles. 

“Oops! Sorry! Sorry!” Joss called.

“Careful!” Ann shouted at her niece as she managed to avoid more projectile weapons. 

“Gimme Red!” Motor Ed screamed as he made a go for the door.

“Cali, get him!” Joss commanded, pointing to the blond leader. 

The feline did not need to be told twice, pouncing on Motor Ed from several yards away, changing into her humanoid form right before she hit him. She broke the bike in two just from landing on it. He yelped and then hollered as he rolled down the street.

“That is going to leave some serious road rash,” Joss laughed as she turned her attention to the others, firing missiles at them.

“And that’s why you should always wear a helmet,” Ann remarked, looking at Motor Ed in the side view mirror. 

“I’m sure sleeves would also help,” Isabel added before chain whipping a biker across the face. Ann moved the car to allow her to do the same to several other wannabe assailants. 

With Motor Ed down and unable to call the shots, the attack fizzled fairly quickly. Cali hopped back into the car while Isabel rid herself of the chain and apparently Joss now had a new ATV that would need to be scanned for bugs to make sure Motor Ed could not track or something worse. When they pulled up to Kim’s home, she gave Joss the Kimmunicator to do just that.

“Hey, baby,” Bonnie greeted Kim with a warm smile and brief kiss as she walked through the door. 

Kim returned the kiss, even though it bothered her a bit at how gentle Bonnie was treating her. She wanted to go back to the days when Bonnie would occasionally pounce on her when she came through the door. Of course, those days would be a memory for a little while longer, but the second she was fine, she would make sure Bonnie understood she was not made of glass.

“How was everything?” the lawyer inquired, caressing Kim’s shoulder for a moment.

Kim only pointed to Isabel, who proceeded to rant in order to vent. “Someone needs to call Wade now and tell him I’m taking over his so-called investigation. It’s irksome when we get attacked — if it can even be called that at this point — twice in one week, but now twice in one day! I refuse. I will not have my daughter-in-law in danger one moment longer!”

Shego chose that moment to walk through the door, having dismissed her class when she saw Kim was home. “What’s Mommy squawking about?” she inquired as she embraced Kim and kissed her softly.

“We got attacked twice on the way here. Your mother’s understandably annoyed,” Ann explained. 

“She can get un-annoyed. Wade called me about an hour ago and assured me that he’d have it figured out before dinner because he now has a paper trail to follow,” Shego informed them all, staying close to her lovers. 

“I think I’ll stay for dinner then,” Isabel insisted.

“Of course,” Shego frowned. “Let’s order pizza to celebrate.” Her tone and expression could not be any flatter if she tried. 

Isabel gave her a challenging smirk. “Really, firefly? That’s the best you’ve got? I’m disappointed.”

“Oh, shut up before I let Cali cook and kill us all,” Shego declared with a snarl tugging at her top lip. 

Isabel smirked again, but said nothing. Shego helped Kim to the sofa, even though the redhead did not need the help. Kim allowed it because she knew it made Shego feel better. Ann followed to make sure Kim did not try to do anything strenuous as she was prone to do when no one was looking.

“Mom, where did you learn to drive like that?” Kim inquired, speaking to her mother as soon as she was down on the couch.  

“Yeah, Aunt Ann, you were awesome!” Joss declared.

Ann chuckled and waved the whole thing off. “I just used to do a little racing in my teenage years. Nothing more.” 

Kim’s forehead wrinkled. “You don’t talk about your parents that much, but when you do, it always comes off that they were very conservative. I’m surprised they let you do that.” 

The surgeon shook her head. “Let? Oh, no. They never would’ve allowed it. I was very… rebellious as a teenager.”

“Nice,” Shego smiled.

Kim only shook her head, having a hard time picturing her mother as a rebel, but as she said, her mother’s parents always sounded so conservative that it probably was not hard to be a rebel. She wanted to ask questions, but the sound of the Kimmunicator going off took her focus off that. Joss answered since the device was still in her possession.

“Hey, Wade, what’s the sitch?” Joss said, doing her best Kim impersonation. The twang in her voice kept if from being spot on.

“I found the guy who posted the bounty and I also cleared your new ride of all bugs,” Wade replied. 

“How about you tell us the shit we actually want to know,” Shego snapped.

“Shego,” Kim scolded her. Shego made a face, but offered no apologies.

“Right, Big Daddy Brotherson is the one who decided to try to take advantage of Kim’s injured state, which isn’t really a surprise when you think about it. He posted pictures of her from her original hospital bed first, as if trying to bait people, but when no one seemed able to be able to do anything about it, he offered five million dollars to the first person to bring him Kim’s head,” Wade reported.

“I feel like countering that offer by giving six million to first person that brings me his balls! They’d have to be the size of Kim’s head for him to do something like that!” Shego hollered, punching her fist into her palm. 

“Agreed,” Isabel growled, making a fist of her own.

“Thank you, Wade,” Kim said. 

“Anytime. Do you want me to send this info to anyone to get the proper authorities involved?” Wade asked. 

“No!” Shego answered, loudly and quickly. “We got this.” She then reached over and disconnected the communication.

“Shego!” Kim objected. 

“Trust me, Kimmie, we got this,” the green-skinned woman repeated. It sounded more ominous that time. Maybe because of the way Isabel was smiling, too.

“No killing,” Kim ordered. 

Isabel laughed. “Of course not, my dear. That would be too easy. Way too easy and certainly not punishing enough. Now, firefly, you said something about pizza?” 

Kim had a bad feeling about this, but she knew she could not stop Shego and her mother. Hell, she had helped them in the past do such a thing to Bonnie’s dreadful coworker Lyle. She considered it to be hypocritical of her to find it okay for her and Shego to do it for Bonnie, but not okay for it to be done for her. Maybe she felt like Bonnie was supposed to be protected, but she was a warrior. She was not sure if that was it, but it nagged at her.

The more she thought about throughout the night, the more it got to her. She and Bonnie had even done something like this to help Shego, with Isabel right with them there, too. If Shego could get over it, she liked to think that she could accept it and get over it, too. They were in a relationship and they were there for each other when things like this happened. She needed to accept that sometimes, she had to let her lovers protect her in ways that only they could, ways that she could not protect herself. 

To help settle her mind, she spoke with Shego privately, ducking into the bedroom while they waited for the pizza. “Promise me no one gets killed,” she begged.

Shego scoffed. “Princess, I told you and my mother keeps telling you, we don’t kill people. I’m just not like that and my mother doesn’t believe killing is the best revenge or punishment or however you want to look at it. You know that. You’ve been a part of these things before. Why do you think this is gonna be different?” 

Kim shook her head. “I dunno. I mean, I feel like your parents killed the guys who hurt me.”

“I swear to you they didn’t. Those guys are in prison just like you asked. Mommy would never disrespect your request like that.” Shego reached out and gently caressed Kim’s cheek. “You know she loves you and wouldn’t do that.”

Kim nodded because that was true. Still, things did not sit right with her. They went to eat with everyone else and Kim looked at Isabel. Isabel would respect her decision. But, it did not settle her and eventually she figured out why. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Kimmie, baby, are you all right?” Bonnie asked as they were preparing for bed. The trio was in their bedroom with them all in the middle of putting on pajamas. 

Kim was staring at her tank top as if it had wronged her. Bonnie glanced at Shego, who just finished pulling on some black shorts. They went to Kim and embraced her. 

“Princess, what’s wrong?” Shego asked, placing a soft kiss to the corner of Kim’s mouth.

“I know what you and your mother are going to do,” Kim replied in a low voice. Shego and Bonnie exchanged a worried glance. 

“Kimmie, we’re not going to kill him,” Shego pointed out once more. “I promise.” She added, just in case Kim actually needed to hear the promise.

“And he needs to learn not to target you,” Bonnie added.

Kim shook her head. “No, I know. I know we’re always going to do what we need to protect each other. It’s just… it’s just hard to come to terms with me needing that protection. I mean, first, there’s the stupid trip leading to me nearly dying and now there’s a bounty on my head while I can’t defend myself. It’s so hard,” she whimpered. 

Shego nodded; _oh_. That made a lot more sense than Kim still fretting over them killing Brotherson. It had to crush Kim that there was a mission she was not a part of, but she was also the cause for the mission.

“Baby, we’ve all been there and we’re all been there for each other. We don’t think less of you,” Bonnie assured her. “We love you.”

Kim sighed and shook her head. “I know, but this goes against my nature. I’m a fighter. I need to be able to fight.”

“Princess, you are fighting with the best weapons you have right now. When you fall, we’re there to pick you up, just as you are with us.” Shego kissed her again. 

“I know, I know. Just coming to terms with it,” Kim said.

“Wait, so I don’t need to sneak out tonight to go smack that fat fuck around?” Shego inquired with an arched eyebrow. Even though Kim knew what she would do, Shego doubted Kim would approve, she had plans to sneak out. Apparently, she did not need those. Kim really was coming to terms with this, then. 

“No, no, you don’t,” Kim replied.

Shego smiled, a mix of pride and happiness. “That rocks. I’m leaving while you’re clearly insane and I can get away with it. Don’t wait up,” she said to both of her lovers and kissed them both on the lips. She was out the door in a hurry. 

-8-8-8-8-

“You’re going like that?” Joss asked Shego from a seat at the dining room table. She was waiting for Shego, dressed in her own “mission” clothes, all black and clearly inspired by Kim in being cargo pants and a tank top.

“I’ll change on the way and you shouldn’t talk about clothing. I’ve seen your pajamas, after all,” Shego retorted with a smirk.

Joss only scoffed and rolled her eyes. They went downstairs where Kane and Isabel were already waiting for them. They eased into the back of the car and Kane drove off. 

“Just so you know, we have Kimmie’s blessing,” Shego informed her parents with a happy grin.

“Well, that’ll certainly make things easier,” Isabel said. 

“Shego, you changing into something other than pajamas might make things easier, too,” Kane remarked. 

Isabel tossed Shego an outfit, which was one of her catsuits. Kane stepped out of the car while she changed. When she was done, he got back in to drive them to the airport. They had a long trip ahead of them.

-8-8-8-8-

Brotherson was fatter than Shego recalled as she marched into his dining room with Joss at her side. He was eating breakfast, enough food to feed a small village. Shego shook her head; she never understood the sin of gluttony. It always seemed to her that eventually a glutton should just get sick of whatever it was they continuously consumed. There were much better sins in her opinion. Brotherson seemed out to prove her wrong, though.

“Hey, Big Daddy, mind if we pull up a chair?” Shego inquired as she and Joss sat down next to him.

He coughed and sputtered. “How did you get in?” he managed to demand through a thick wheeze.

“Front door. It’s just wide open for some reason,” Shego answered with an easy-going shrug. “Anyway, let’s just let to business.” She paused to eat a green grape from a bowl that was in front of her. “Now, you probably have no idea why we’re here. Actually, you probably don’t even know Joss.” She pointed to her companion.

“Joss Possible, college student, adventurer, and cousin to Kim Possible,” she introduced herself with a devilish smile.

“Cousin?” he coughed again, bits of food flying out of his mouth. 

“And I’m sure you have to know Kim’s my lover. So, in what world made it sound like a good idea to use your fucking blood money to put a bounty on her head?” Shego growled.

He finally choked on whatever the hell was still packed in his cheeks and he hit a button near him while his face turned bright red. The pair did not move as Brotherson luckily spit up the hunk of food. As he inhaled deeply and returned to his normal shade, two figures stepped up behind him.

“Get them!” he gasped, pointed at Shego and Joss.

“Yeah, no,” Kane said, causing Brotherson to turn.

“It’s like watching the Earth rotate,” Shego remarked.

“I’m waiting for him to eclipse the sun,” Joss agreed.

“Who the hell are you?” Brotherson demanded, glaring at Shego’s parents.

“I’m Isabel Go and this is my husband, Kane. I’m sure you’ve heard of us with all of your information gathering and such. You may or may not be aware that Kim’s our daughter-in-law,” Isabel said and he was back to spitting and sputtering. He reached for the button again, pressing it as if his life depended upon it.

“Press it all you like. We took care of everybody around here before we came in for breakfast,” Joss explained with a large grin. She had enjoyed showing her growth and range as a martial artist while she took down dozens of guards in the front yard.

He seemed to take her up on her offer, pressing the button to the point of annoyance for Shego. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” she hollered, ripping the button away and burning it to tiny ashes that she blew in his face.

“Wha-wha-what are you going to do to me?” Brotherson whimpered.

“First, find a crane to lift your fat ass out of here,” Shego remarked.

“I don’t think they make cranes that big,” Joss chimed in.

“Ann might be right. I think we’re a bad influence on Joss,” Isabel chuckled.

“If she thinks the language and insults are bad, I think we better keep this our little secret,” Kane declared, putting a hand on Brotherson’s shoulder and laughing darkly. Joss only nodded.

-8-8-8-8-

“I need a shower,” Joss declared as she and Shego stumbled into the apartment.

Shego figured they had to reek because Cali did out rush out greet them. Bonnie came within ten feet and then stopped. She put her hand over her mouth and nose, pointing to the bathroom. Shego nodded and marched to the en suite while Joss took the main bathroom.

Once they were clean, they returned to the front of the apartment where Bonnie was setting the table. Cali trotted out, rubbing against Shego’s leg before jumping into Joss’ arms. It was clear who Cali’s favorite was as she snuggled her head underneath Joss’ chin.

“I figured you’d be hungry,” Bonnie explained. 

“Famished,” Shego declared as she took a seat.

“How’d it go?” Kim inquired as she limped to the table from the living room, moving with her cane on orders from Bonnie.

“As expected. He’ll be regretting his actions for a long time to come. Pain, suffering, and all that jazz.” Shego made it seem like nothing, waving her hand with a flick of her wrist. “Just so you’re aware, we had Wade basically take all Brotherson’s money. Figuring no one wants his blood money, my father has invested it for us. Wade and Joss will also have a share. Portions of the investments will be donated to charities, but the rest go into accounts for us. If it bothers you, you’ll have to take it up with my dad,” she informed her lovers.

Kim scoffed. “I get the feeling that won’t work.”

Shego shrugged. “The puppy-dog pout might work. He’s a sucker for females anyway. Of course, he’ll tell my mother about it and she’ll probably undo all your hard work.” 

“Worst in-laws ever,” Kim pretended to grumble, folding her arms across her chest.

“I’m sure they are,” Shego replied.

“So, is he in jail or… what?” Kim asked.

Shego looked at Joss, who shrugged. Shego blew out a breath. “It’s hard to explain. It’s not really a jail. More of a…?” Shego was not sure what to call it. 

“A fat farm?” Joss offered with a little grimace.

Shego winced. “Could you call it that? A work camp? Either way, it’s not exactly a jail, but it’s some place he’ll have to get used to the less fine things in life and it’s a long way from a computer, so he won’t be gathering any information either.” 

Kim nodded since that seemed like the best she would get. The conversation was dropped as Bonnie served everyone. They had a quiet dinner and then retreated to the living room, which was littered with things for Ron and Yori’s wedding. Shego frowned, noting that Kim seemed to be putting her all into the wedding. Kim was actually scheduled to help both bride and groom pick out their dress and tux soon.

“So, where is Brotherson now? I mean, not the prison situation, but location in general. Where?” Kim asked curiously.

“Once we managed to roll him out if his house, we figured he’d be most uncomfortable some place hot and humid,” Shego answered. 

“Isabel arranged for him to go to some jungle camp where her family trains, but there’s like other stuff there,” Joss explained as best she could.

Kim turned to Shego. “Like what?”

“It’s got a medical faculty and a lab and other stuff. It’s not just my family out there. It’s not some place where a lot of nefarious stuff is happening or something,” Shego replied.

“I’m not saying that. I’m just curious and trying to get an idea of what’s going to happen with him,” Kim replied.

“He’ll be put to work, like he was going to be people at his island,” Joss answered and Kim nodded.

“Yeah, so that’s the end of that. Wade’s trying to wipe away all traces of the bounty. So, everything should go back to normal soon,” Shego said.

Bonnie smiled and Kim nodded again. “Good and I’m good enough to do basic things, so Joss, you can actually go back to school instead of doing those online classes,” the hero commented.

The college student grinned. “I can’t wait. I hate online classes. Nothing matches being on campus and being there. But, do you guys mind if I spend my breaks here? I really like spending time with you.” Her eyes sparkled with sincerity.

“Aw, of course you can!” Bonnie proclaimed and she led a group hug between them. Laughter filled the living room.

-8-8-8-8-

Joss was all packed up, planning to leave in the morning. Shego had other plans, though. She stepped into the guest room, which they had all come to think of as Joss’ room.

“Hey, want to go on one last adventure with me and the folks?” Shego proposed with a smirk because she was too aware of what the answer would be.

Olive green eyes lit up. “Where to?” she asked eagerly.

“Well, since Kim seems to approve of justice in her name, even if it bugs her a bit, my parents decided to share the location of the group who originally injured Kim. We’re going to pay them a visit,” Shego explained.

“Cool. Before we go, what should I expect? I don’t want to kill anybody,” Joss said.

Shego shook her head. “Me neither and my father would never be a party to that. We don’t kill, so you don’t have to worry about that with us. We’ll do some ass-kicking most definitely, more than we did to Brotherson, and then we’ll probably actually just call the authorities on them.”

 _Why does everyone assume we’re killers?_ Shego was not sure why since she had never killed a person in her life, even if the person was asking for it. But, then again, considering what these guys had done, what Brotherson had done, she could see why people would believe murder would be the first thought for a former villain and her chaotic neutral parents.

Joss blinked. “What? That’s it?”

“Well, once they get into a prison, my mother has more than enough connections to make any prison stay worse than Hell,” Shego informed the younger woman.

“I thought they were in prison already.”

Shego shook her head. “Apparently while Brotherson was making big moved against Kim, he bribed a lot of people and got them out. He probably thought they’d go after Kim again and finish what they started. My mother just found out about it. So, you coming or what?”

“Count me in then!” Joss declared.

“I thought so. Bonnie’s going to arrange for your stuff to get to your dorm. When we’re done, we have to come back here because they want to have on last meal with all five of us.”

Joss nodded. “I can’t believe Kim’s cool with this.”

“Well, she’s not totally at peace with it, but she accepts that I have to do this. One day, you’ll find yourself in a relationship that you want to last a lifetime and you’ll accept parts of a person and understand parts of a person that you never thought possible.”

“If you want this relationship to last a lifetime, why won’t you marry them?”

Shego growled and flung her arm around Joss’ shoulders. “Let’s go before you piss me off.” Joss laughed and they left.

-8-8-8-8-

Joss and the Go trio studied the apartment that hid the gang who had shot Kim in Egypt many months ago. While only three men had been present, it was a gang of ten. They were grave robbers and black market dealers. Professor Sobek, a man who had hired Kim to explore a new pyramid, had tried to double-cross them and ended up dead. Too bad the group had the misfortune of hurting Kim in the process.

Kane and Isabel had dealt with a majority of them before, but not the whole gang. They were not intimidated at all. They were mostly upset that Brotherson had the money to override Isabel’s wishes. Never again.

Kane used his powers to check for traps and disarm them before the quartet stormed the main room where the gang was going through some loot. The gang hollered and reached for guns that did them no good. Controlled chaos erupted in the area with fists and feet flying. The noise of things shattering, bones included, echoed through the apartment.

Shego did not ignite her hands. She wanted to feel the impact of hurting the people who dared to hurt her Princess. By the time she was done, most of the men were left in worse condition than Kim had been when they left her for dead. When no one could move, the quartet vanished into the night.

“Joss, if you ever want to do some serious training, please let me know,” Isabel offered with a smile, patting the younger woman on the shoulder.

Joss sort of preened at the compliment. “So, what happens now?”

“They’ll get picked up. Taken to a better… or worse prison depending on how you look at it,” Isabel replied.

“And if they somehow manage to get out again, a lot of people will live to regret it,” Kane answered.

“Amen to that,” Shego concurred. 

-8-8-8-8-

Joss’ last day in the apartment was full of hugs and the occasional tears. Poor Cali did not understand what was going on. She thought Joss would only be gone for a while. 

“You’re coming back, right?” Cali asked with a pout with her eyes pleading for confirmation.

Joss caressed the feline’s head. “You know I will. It’ll just be a few months from now. I’m not living here anymore, though.”

“What do you mean? You said you’re coming back,” Cali pointed out with distress in her wide eyes.

“I am, but not right away. I’ll miss you,” Joss said and she kissed the top of Cali’s head. She could not believe she had gotten so familiar and comfortable that she did not even bat an eye at kissing Cali in humanoid form.

Cali pouted even more, but accepted that as Joss turned her attention to Kim. The cousins embraced tightly and patted each other on the back. They pulled away and smiled at each other.

“Thank you for all of the help, I don’t think I can ever express how much I appreciate you putting your life on hold to help me, especially considering how cranky I was in the beginning,” Kim said.

“It was my pleasure and I totally understand why you were so cranky in the beginning. I know you’d do the same for me,” Joss replied.

Kim nodded and then Joss moved onto Bonnie. They hugged and Bonnie thanked her also. Joss smiled at Bonnie and held her for a moment as Bonnie exhaled softly against her. It was as if Bonnie had left go of a heavy burden and Joss had made that possible.

“Any time you ever need anything, please, call me. _Anything_ ,” Bonnie insisted. She did not care what it was. She would donate an organ, run a marathon, and plenty of other things for Joss at this point.

Joss shook Shego’s hand and they more smirked at each other than anything else. “Thanks for everything,” the college student said.

“Like the Duchess said, call if you ever need anything,” Shego stated.

“Thanks for including me in everything,” Joss said again with a smirk. Truth be told, Shego had made her feel like she belonged more than anyone else by taking her on those two missions. Plus, Shego had seen to it that she did not have to worry about money ever again thanks to the investments from Big Daddy Brotherson’s cash.

There were a few more hugs and then Joss was gone, for now anyway. Ann had volunteered to drive her back to school and left her alone to bid the trio farewell. Now, their family was back to its original size, but the place felt just a little empty. They had to adjust to the new normal — the old normal.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: normal.


	9. Women’s studies 211 — How to be Equal and Balanced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I also don’t own Spiderman, who gets mentioned in this chapter; Marvel/Disney does. I do own Cali.
> 
> A/N: The end of this chapter contains women engaged in sexual activity. If you didn’t come here for this, skip to the end after the dinner scene.

9: Women’s studies 211 — How to be Equal and Balanced

Kim took a deep breath and leaned against the cane that she had to use when walking more than three feet as far as her lovers were concerned. She stood at the top of the stairs that led to her classroom in the building. Behind her stood her girlfriends. Bonnie held her free hand and Shego had a hand on her shoulder. Shego gave a little squeeze. 

“It’ll be fine. They miss you,” Shego tried to assure her.

“It’s been so long and kids have short memories,” Kim replied in a small voice with some trepidation in her eyes.

“Only sometimes. Other times, kids have memories like elephants and remember better than adults,” Shego stated.

“Way better,” Bonnie chimed in with a nod. The conviction in her voice caused her lovers to look at her. She shrugged. “To this day, I remember my first grade teacher because she hugged me on really bad days. I mean, I could spot her in a crowd right now because she made me feel a little less worthless,” she explained. She knew the story would come back up one day because her girlfriends would want to make sure she was all right, but she hoped it did what it was intended to do now.

Kim nodded and took another deep breath. “Okay, I can do this. I can do anything.” She continued to believe that despite her injuries. No matter what, she would always be Kim Possible.

“Yes, you can,” Bonnie promised her and gave her hand a squeeze.

The redhead smiled and her girlfriends released her. She took the last few steps on her own, crossing the threshold to reclaim her kingdom from the twin regents who had watched over it in her long absence. The Wego twins grinned as soon as she entered. 

“Hey, guys, look who’s here!” both twins shouted, motioning to the doorway with both hands.

About half of the children screamed and charged. While Kim knew she should not, she let the kids all hug her. Bolts of pain coursed through her still healing body, but the most she did was whimper slightly. She caressed those closest to her, running her fingers through their hair. They all giggled and gushed over the affection.

“You gonna be our teacher again, Kimmie?” one little boy asked, his eyes shining with hope.

Kim grinned. “I’m going to ease myself into the role. I’m not totally healthy yet.” She tapped her cane to help make her point.

“But, you’ll stay, right?” another child implored.

“I plan on staying the whole day, every day,” she promised. She was feeling better by the day, probably normal for most people, but definitely not up to her usual standards. She would be soon, though.

For now, she wanted her students to re-familiarize themselves with her and she would do the same with them. She also needed to learn more about the new students. She did not want to rock the boat for them, especially since the twins were the only teachers they had known so far. So, she would observe for now. Eventually, she would give verbal instructions and the Wego twins would do demonstrations until she could handle that herself. With luck, the class would transition seamlessly from them back to her and they would be able to get back to their wacky lives without almost two-dozen kids demanding to know where they were.

“It’s good that you’re back,” Wes said to her in between classes.

“Yeah, they’ve been dying for you to come back,” Wen added.

Kim smiled. “They’re not the only ones.”

“Yeah, we’re happy you’re getting better, too. For a while, we were scared for you,” Wen admitted.

“Really scared, but you’re a scrappy little thing. We respect the hell out of that,” Wes stated with a powerful nod.

Kim laughed and smiled. “Well, I respect your ability to handle my class. Thank you so much for this.”

The twins shrugged. “You’re family.”

-8-8-8-8-

It had been a full week of hanging with her classes and Kim could not have been happier if she tried. She had grinned widely, madly for the entire week. She was even happy to be the one to clean the classroom.

“Hey, K. P. you up here? Shego said you were,” Ron called.

“Yeah, I’m in the class,” she answered and moments later he walked through the door.

“K. P. what are you doing? We need to get out of here and go get our suits,” Ron pointed out.

“Oh, shoot! I forgot! I’ve been so happy about being in my class again that it totally slipped my mind.” She blushed a little from embarrassment.

“Shego was supposed to remind you! She and Yori went to get their dresses already. Come on, Mo’s going to meet us there. She picked up Felix and Wade should be there, too, although I have no idea what he uses for transportation,” he informed her.

Kim nodded. “Wade claims that he teleports, but I think he invited some kind of super motorcycle and he hides it in some kind of stealth mode so we never see it because sometimes he carries a motorcycle helmet. We should check on the hall and everything, too, after we pick up the suits.”

He nodded in agreement. “Well, in order to do that, we need to get out of here.”

The redhead chuckled, but she followed Ron out of the school. They had to pick up their tuxedos for the Ron’s wedding where Kim would be playing the sidekick as “best man,” so to speak. They both had to get the suits tailored, along with the other three groomsmen — Wade, Monique and Felix.

Yori’s “bridesmaids” were just as unconventional considering that one was Hirotaka, her classmate from ninja school. Oddly enough, he was also Shego’s cousin and Shego was another bridesmaid. Hirotaka had not been close to Yori until they reconnected at the martial arts’ expo the school put on and Hirotaka had been impressed with the show. He directed students to Yori and contacted her weekly about various topics. Two other kunoichi who Yori trained with for most of her life had flown from Japan to take part in the wedding as bridesmaids.

“Have we taken care of everything? Wedding’s in two days,” Monique reminded them when they were done with their tuxedos.

“Everything is taken care of,” Kim promised.

“That’s good. So, Ron, excited?” Felix inquired with a smile. He reached out and slapped Ron on the arm.

“You know I am!” Ron grinned, practically jumping up and down. “After that, we need to get this one hitched,” he declared, throwing his arm around Kim.

“You’re right about that,” Wade concurred with a motorcycle helmet in his hand. Monique nodded.

The hero laughed. “I’m not sure that’s likely to happen anytime soon. Let’s focus on you and your happiness right now. We want your day to be absolutely perfect.” She patted Ron on his arm.

The grin on Ron’s face seemed to light up the sky. “As long as Yori says ‘I do’ then it is perfect as far as I’m concerned.”

“You are smitten,” Felix smiled. “I know the feeling.” He was the only one amongst them that was married. He had met the great love of his life in college, junior year.

“Well, Cupid, make sure you’re on time with your pants on tomorrow,” Monique teased.

“Hey, I haven’t lost my pants by accident in almost ten years,” Ron argued with a laugh.

“Can you believe there are people on this Earth who _don’t_ have to make that statement,” Felix proclaimed with a chuckle.

“Unbelievable,” Wade pretended to gasp. The group laughed, made sure that everything was ready for the wedding, including checking on the venue for the reception for the millionth time, and then went their separate ways.

-8-8-8-8-

The group was together again two days later, the day of the wedding. Ron was pacing a hole in the parking lot of his synagogue. His friends feared he was going to sweat through his tux. They had not entered yet because there were still people going in to be seated.

“Ron, calm down,” Kim pled with him and the others nodded in agreement. “You’re just working yourself up for nothing. This is _not_ an omen. This is just people being five minutes late,” she assured him.

“I know.” Of course, his near-hyperventilation suggested he did not believe it.

Thankfully, his dad poked his head outside and waved them in. The wedding was underway and went off without a hitch. Yori had opted to have a kimono made for the wedding while her three female bridesmaids had on yellow and white dresses. Her kimono was lavished in red silk with beautiful golden bird designs all along it with some green and black in the feathers.

Master Sensei walked her down the aisle that Hana had just sprinkled with flowers. Hana had grinned the whole time and waved to Ron. Master Sensei had more control than that, of course. He smiled at Ron and then shocked the blond by giving him a stern glare. Ron chuckled nervously before Rabbi Katz began and then Ron seemed to forget the world, getting lost in Yori’s dark eyes. He needed a helpful nudge from his “best man” when the rabbi was done.

Ron kissed the bride without any instructions and the building erupted into applauds and photos. The newly married couple smiled at each other, as they broke apart. Ron put an arm around Yori’s waist and they turned to everyone, smiling brightly as flashes from dozens of cameras went off. They could not resist one more kiss.

The professional photographer took pictures of the newly married couple as they exited the synagogue. The wedding party followed them out and took pictures as the rest of the people filed out of the building. They took pictures, too, and then it was time to go to the wedding reception.

The wedding party rode in the limo to hall hosting the reception. They took more pictures in front of the place with its elaborate fountains and gardens. Yori had never seen the place before and her eyes were wide with awe. Ron squeezed her hand.

“Nothing but the best for you, beautiful,” the blond told his wife. Yori smiled shyly.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego had never been happier to get out of a pair of shoes as she had been with the bridesmaids’ heels, even though she doubted it was appropriate to do so as soon as she sat down. They still had speeches to make it through. Kim had the privilege of starting it off.

Kim grabbed the mic and everyone quieted down for her. She smiled and then began. “I’m going to do my best to keep this short because I know Ron wants to eat as soon as possible.” That earned several laughs.

“I want to get to more than food,” Ron commented in a low voice with a smile at his bride. He lovingly kissed her cheek and she giggled.

“I’ve known Ron almost all of my life and I have never seen him more focused and more wanting and willing to better himself than when he’s with Yori. She makes him want to be a hero, not a sidekick. She makes him want to be a mature adult, not a goofy kid. She’s the light in his eyes when he’s talking to you. She’s the cheer in his voice when he’s excited. She’s just it for him and you can’t help but be happy for him because she makes his smile just a bit brighter. They’re friends who found more than love with each other. May that always be the case and may we all be so lucky,” Kim declared, raising her glass. Everyone did the same and they drank to that.

Kim leaned down and hugged Ron. The best friends shared a smile before the redhead moved to hug Yori. Yori hugged her right back and then sniffled. Kim pulled away to see a couple of tears slid down Yori’s cheek.

“Those better be happy tears,” Kim commented with a small smile.

“Overjoyed,” Yori assured her.

There was a nod and then Kim sat down while Shego rose to do the next speech. It was incredible to think that Shego and Yori were so close that Shego would not only accept the job of maid of honor, even though Kim did most of her work, but that Shego had enough affection for Yori to say kind words for her marrying Ron.

“Shocking to most of you that know me, but Yori’s become like a little sister to me and surprisingly enough a little sister is nowhere near as annoying as a little brother. She also puts up a much better fight than they do. I try to look out for her and, honestly, she makes me look at Ron in a whole new light. She loves so honest and pure and Stoppable has to be an amazing guy to draw that out of a person who is distant and stoic with almost everyone that she meets. He brings out the best in her, but he also makes her want to show the world the best her. He has brought her to an astonishing level in every aspect of life and then he lets her shine without interruption. It lakes a special guy to do that, to step back and let his woman glow like the star. So, Stoppable, let her shine like the sun and she will warm you forever,” Shego stated and raised her glass. The guests did the same and they all took a drink.

There were a couple of other speeches, but then the party then got underway. There was an open bar and a live DJ. The couple had their spotlight dance and then the dance floor opened for everyone. The food was served as more pictures were snapped. A man with a camcorder wandered around, getting everyone to say a few words to the newlyweds.

Shego sat nursing a drink while watching Bonnie and Kim dance. A small smiled eased onto her face, but was quickly replaced by a scowl as a smirking Monique sat down. She glared at Monique with the hope that it would send the message of “go away,” but for some reason Monique leaned forward.

“Thinking about it, aren’t you?” Monique asked, mischief in her dark eyes.

“What the hell are you going on about?” Shego countered with a snort.

“Your fantasy wedding. Kim was thinking about it on the ride ever. She didn’t say anything, but you could see it on her face. She had a distant look in her eyes and didn’t bother with keeping up with any conversation. I always thought she and Bonnie would be married before Ron and Yori,” Monique explained with a shrug.

The older woman’s scowl deepened. “Trying to say I’m holding them up?”

“Nothing of the sort. I’m trying to say, what are you waiting for? What’s the hold up? You know you want to.”

Shego snorted. “What do you know? I have no intentions of getting married.” It was not an outright lie. Once upon a time, she had no desire to get married. She never saw the point.

“Could you be any more of a liar? We both know you’ve let the idea float across your mind, more than once I’m sure. You should just pop the question and get it over with. It’s not like you don’t know the answer.”

“It’s not about knowing the answer. For me, things are fine the way they are. What does marriage change? Nothing since we wouldn’t be legally married. We’re already merged as much as we can without becoming one person. At this point, a wedding would be a giant PDA.”

“Exactly! And wouldn’t Bonnie love that? Hell, wouldn’t you love to tell the world your girls are off-limits? Don’t you want to have some crazy, elaborate show to let everyone close to you know how you feel about them and to say romantic vows to them that you’d never otherwise say?” A soft smile replaced Monique’s smirk.

Shego sighed. She would love to throw a huge, outrageous wedding because Bonnie would get a thrill out of it. It also appealed to her hedonist, extravagant side. It would be great if only she would not have to be a part of it. She was fine with being the center of attention in small things, but not grandiose matters. It was one of the reasons that she had been Doctor Drakken’s sidekick and not a solo villain.

“Come on, just imagine the rings you’d be able to buy them,” Monique said.

Shego let out a growl. Oh, how she did love to spoil her girlfriends with expensive things, like jewelry. She was certain it would take no time for her to find the perfect rings. She could imagine their surprise and the matching adoring looks as she dropped to one knee before them. Her heart fluttered at the thought.

“You just imagined it, didn’t you?” Monique smiled.

“Shut up,” Shego huffed and glared hard at Monique.

“You looked really happy imagining it. You smiled.”

“What?” She narrowed her gaze on Monique.

“You did and there’s no shame in that. Being married to the women you love would make you happy and it would make them happy. You should do it when you feel the time is right. You’ve been together long enough for this to be the next logical step.”

Shego did not fix her expression. Monique shrugged and removed herself from the table. Shego went back to her drink and gazing at her lovers. The idea of them both dancing in beautiful white wedding gowns was enough to melt her heart. Added to the fantasy, they would all be wearing matching rings symbolizing their love and commitment to each other. 

“Maybe that’s what we all want,” Shego muttered to herself.

She did not have much time to contempt that as the song changed and her lovers joined her at the table. She waved over a waiter for drinks for them. They smiled at her. 

“So, when are you going to dance with us?” Bonnie inquired with a hopeful grin.

“As soon as I can get into some new shoes,” Shego replied with her own hopeful smile.

Bonnie chuckled. “It’s a good thing that I packed you a pair of flats.” She reached under the table for her bag. Usually, Bonnie carried a small purse, but she had a large tote bag that day, without complaining about how it was highly unfashionable. “I brought you both spare clothes if you want to get out of your wedding outfits.” 

Shego nodded. “Yes, because yellow’s not my color. Duchess, you’re a wonder.”

Bonnie preened as she handed over the neatly folded bundle with shoes on top. Shego went to the nearest bathroom and changed into black slacks with a silk emerald button-down top. After slipping on the shoes, she returned to her ladies. 

“May I have this dance?” she asked the pair.

The pair smiled and then they all headed out to the dance floor. They received some looks, but nothing too shocked since it was not a slow song. Shego noted how neither Kim nor Bonnie even cared. They were so secure in their relationship now that opinions no longer mattered. It brought a smile to her face.

“Time to toss the bouquet!” someone announced. 

The dance floor cleared of everyone, except the single women interested in the activity. It was not surprising that Bonnie stuck around. Shego was surprised that Kim backed off.

“You know it wouldn’t be unfair. There are ninjas in there, after all,” Shego pointed out. 

Kim nodded. “Yeah, but I figure since I was the best man, I should be in the thick when he throws the garter. Besides, wouldn’t you love to see me put the garter on Bonnie with my teeth?”

Shego was certain her body temperature now rivaled the surface of the sun as that image danced through her mind. She then shook it away. “That would be cool, but I don’t want you two to be the reason the party gets rated R and I don’t want you doing something like that in front of people. But, yeah, that would be awesome at home.” 

Kim laughed. Bonnie did not catch the bouquet, though. One of the ninja bridesmaids was rather eager to get the flowers. Kim did not make a real attempt to grab the garter after that. The trio enjoyed the rest of the wedding reception. 

-8-8-8-8-

Shego laid on the couch, flat on her back with Cali on her chest. Kim had gone for a walk and Bonnie accompanied her. Kim was almost back to form. She did not need assistance to stand or walk long distances. She could do what she considered a light workout, which she did along her walk. Shego knew that she had at least two hours alone and she was plotting.

Her mind focused on one image. She thought about her lovers dancing at the wedding with their eyes shining, their smiles putting diamonds to shame, and moving as if they were floating. The thought alone made her heart flutter and her whole body relaxed. 

“Cali, I think it’s time,” Shego said. Cali tilted her head in a curious cat look. “You didn’t see them at the wedding a week ago. They were so happy. I mean, ridiculously happy. I want them to be that happy for themselves.” Cali looked curious again. “I’ve got a plan and I need to get off my lazy ass to do it. I need you to keep lookout for me. You remember how to use the phone?” Cali nodded and something that looked like a smile lit up her face. “If Kim and Bonnie show up before me, call me.”

Cali nodded and grinned again, pleased to have a mission. Shego finally managed to get up and get out. A week after watching her lovers dance at Ron’s wedding, it had finally worked its way all around her brain and she knew what she had to do.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie and Kim returned home, surprised to find the place bathed in candlelight. The whole apartment smelled sweet, like flowers and springtime. Underneath that, there was a hint of dinner.

“What in the world?” Bonnie muttered in disbelief, eyes scanning the apartment for some explanation of what was going on. 

Kim nodded, but did not say anything. She noticed a card on the counter and picked it up. She read it and smiled.

“There’s time for us to take a shower and we should wear something formal,” Kim reported.

Bonnie actually bounced on her heels. She and Kim showered together to save time, eager to see what Shego had planned for them. The shower was very brief and far from intimate. They then prepared as if they were going on a great date. They did their hair as best they could, put on jewelry, and makeup. They nodded their approval at each other before venturing outside. They were met by their smiling lover, who was dressed in her own little black (and green) dress. 

“Good evening, my royals,” Shego smiled. Her eyes flashed with delight and pride, making her lovers wonder just what was going on.

“What’s the occasion, love?” Bonnie inquired.

“I just wanted to do something special for you. Come on, dinner is waiting,” Shego informed them, motioning to the dining room with a sweep of her hand.

“You cooked?” Kim asked with an arched eyebrow as they all sat down at the dinner table. Their plates were made and wine was poured. The table was cloaked in candlelight like the rest of the apartment. 

“This is a wonderful setup, love,” Bonnie said.

“Yes, very romantic,” Kim concurred. 

Shego smiled, preening in her seat. “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to do something like this. After Ron’s wedding, I figured we need to get back in step and this seemed like a great way to do it.”

“Good idea,” Kim praised her with Bonnie nodding in agreement.

“I’m glad you think so. So, how was your walk? How do you feel?” Shego asked.

Kim shrugged. “It was all right.”

Bonnie scoffed. “Don’t be modest.” She turned directly to Shego. “She started jogging once we got to the park and lapped me twice as I walked the path. I had to talk her out of swimming in the pond.”

“Swimming would be great exercise for my whole body and it wouldn’t impact my joints,” Kim argued. 

“You don’t know what’s in that pond,” Bonnie retorted.

“You’re both right. We should’ve done this a while ago, but let’s have a pool installed,” Shego suggested, as if it was the simplest thing ever.  

Kim was about to object and Bonnie looked ready to chime in as well. They both seemed to remember that their love was wealthy, though, so it really was that simple. Even if they could not afford it, Shego could probably just whine to her dad and Kane would have it done. Plus, they did have money from those investments Kane got them involved in now.

“I’d like to go swimming every now and then,” Shego added. 

“It could be fun,” Bonnie agreed.

“Where would we put it? The roof?” Kim mused. 

“What about the basement? It can go with gym we keep planning to finish, but never quite get around to it,” Shego suggested.

“When are we going to finish that? We still need to include a lot more stuff,” Kim pointed out. There were some machines in their so-called gym, but it was a far cry from something expected of them.

“Now that you’re out of the woods, we should be able to focus on other things,” Shego stated and smiled a bit, as if there was something more to that.

Her lovers smiled, just pleased that they could move on now that Kim was healthy, and they ate. Shego was complimented on her cooking and her choice of wine. She then served dessert, strawberry cheesecake with a little something extra on the side. Kim blinked in shock and then turned wide eyes to Bonnie. In unison, they turned to gawk at Shego, who was grinning proudly.

“Shego…?” Kim’s voice shook and Bonnie seemed incapable of making a sound.

“My very devoted royals, you have my undying loyalty and love and it would make me beyond happy if you two would marry me,” Shego announced.

For a moment, Kim’s mouth could only move, no sounds of any kind coming out. She could not recall how to speak. Tears poured from Bonnie’s glistening eyes, mouth trembling. Shego stepped forward, picking up each ring from the dessert plates.

“May I?” she asked and both younger women nodded. 

Shego smiled softly as she slipped the matching rings, first on Bonnie and then on Kim. Bonnie outright sobbed and tossed herself onto Shego as soon as she was done. Shego accepted her with a smile and then put her arms out for Kim. Kim fell into the embrace and they managed several sloppy kisses in between a few tears from them all.

“Princess, we’ll get you a chain for your ring, so you don’t rip your finger off when you’re finally completely normal,” Shego said, running her fingers through Kim’s hair. The hero chuckled and nodded.

Bonnie sniffled and composed herself. “I have something for both of you.”

The lawyer pulled away before her girlfriends could question her. She trotted off to the closet and pulled out the coat that she wore to work on particularly cold days. She retrieved two jewelry boxes and quickly presented them to her lovers.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without you two and I really don’t want to. I want you in my life forever and always,” she said to them. 

“That makes three of us,” Shego remarked as Bonnie slid the ring on her finger. She glanced at Kim. “Go get your rings, Princess. I know you couldn’t resist when you were helping Ron.” 

Kim beamed, bouncing on her heels, even though that was supposed to be a secret. Her hiding place was unexpected, high on one of their hanging lights. Shego and Bonnie glanced at each other and Kim knew that she had a scolding coming to her. 

“How the hell did you get up there if you could barely stand until recently?” Bonnie demanded.

“Before you both flip out and think I’m Spiderman, I had Cali put them up there for me,” the redhead explained. “Now, you are both the most wonderful and amazing women I have ever had the great fortune to meet. I doubt there’s anyone else on Earth who could or would deal with me or most of the things I do. But, somehow I managed to find two people who put up with me and love me for who I am. I’m honored to know you and be in a relationship with you. I barely feel worthy of asking you to marry me.” 

Shego and Bonnie smiled softly and accepted. Of course, Kim would say that. It was amazing and a little sickening how modest she could be sometimes. There were rings and more passionate kisses. Shego was the one that took it a step farther, clutching Kim’s ass. She moaned, having not been touched in any amorous manner in far too long. The sound struck Bonnie right in her core.

“Wait,” Bonnie said, breathless. “Kimmie… Baby, you can have sex. You can have sex!”

Just hearing those words made the hero shudder and Shego growled. They wasted no time moving to their bedroom. They were a mass of moving limbs and wet kisses. By the time they made it across the threshold, it was a miracle that they had managed to stay on their feet and more than a miracle was the fact that they were still dressed and nothing was ripped. Shego and Kim ended up in an intense kiss with Bonnie behind Kim, covering the redhead’s neck and shoulders in open-mouth kisses. Their hands all seemed to be everywhere. 

Bonnie eased Kim’s dress off of her while Kim managed to get Shego’s off of her. Shego took a moment to lift Kim bridal style and gently deposit her on the bed. She pinned Kim with a deep kiss and then a stare.

“Don’t move, don’t touch, just watch,” Shego ordered before stepping away. 

Kim had no clue what the pale woman meant until she grabbed Bonnie into a lustful embrace. She devoured Bonnie’s mouth with her own, tongue moving enough for Kim to see. Kim’s breathing increased as Bonnie whimpered loudly and Shego’s hands caressed her breasts, worshiping the soft mounds with her fingers. Shego’s mouth followed the path of her hands and feasted on Bonnie’s breasts, kissing and nibbling, while peeling her out of her dress.

“Just like that, Shego,” Bonnie implored, her hands getting lost in Shego’s hair as the older woman moved the dress down her body. Shego’s mouth somehow never left Bonnie’s cleavage.

Bonnie’s urgent moans and gasps echoed through the room, making Kim quiver. While Kim knew her lovers fooled around while she was incapacitated, the sounds coming from Bonnie made her believe they had not made love since she went down. The thought made her feel like her heart and body were going to explode from the anticipation alone. 

“You know there’s more to it than that,” Shego told Bonnie as she stood and began kissing her with enough passion to send the room up in flames.

The show became too much as Shego began to kiss her way down Bonnie’s evenly tanned, nude body. Watching Bonnie’s chest rise and fall in desperation as Shego’s lips took their time down her taut stomach made Kim ache. Her fingers began to wander, but did not get far as Shego reached out and grabbed her wrist. Kim and Bonnie groaned in disappointment. 

“Don’t touch,” Shego ordered with a stern glare.

“But, Shego!” Kim whined. “Have mercy. Please, love.”

“She did say please,” Bonnie pointed out, panting.

“Oh, all right,” Shego caved, but she did not release Kim. 

Shego moved Bonnie closer to the bed and moved Kim’s busy hand to molten paradise. The younger pair both moaned as Kim glided her fingers through the glory that was her first love. Shego had to moan just because of the noise.

“Happy now?” Shego asked through gritted teeth, fervor pouring out of her.

“Yes!” Kim and Bonnie answered together in a passionate cry. 

“Good, because I have other things to do,” Shego remarked, trying to make it seem like she would leave. They all knew nothing like that was going to happen, even though she did step away from Bonnie.

Bonnie stepped closer, hips rocking, softly cooing as Kim touched her soul. Kim felt like she might fly away from the simple action, which was not simple at all, considering the fact that she was fairly certain that she was going to climax just from touching Bonnie. The tanned woman ran her hands through Kim’s hair and over her face as bliss built to new highs. Shego settled down on the bed with Kim, planning on making the redhead peak from much more than giving to Bonnie. 

The hero hissed in pleasure as Shego nipped at her neck, sending fire down every nerve in her body. There were a couple more nips and licks, teasing tastes for both of them, before Shego began her descent with her mouth and hands and Kim thought that she might follow, succumbing to madness brought on by Shego’s mouth and being inside of Bonnie.

As Shego moved lower, Kim pulled Bonnie closer until she was perched dangerously on the edge of the bed, needing to have more of the attorney. Kim licked Bonnie’s belly, earning a strangled whine from Bonnie, before going lower. Bonnie screamed, coming from low in her throat, as Kim had her first taste of heaven in far too long. 

“I need… I need… I need…” Bonnie could not get out what she needed, leaning down on the bed to catch herself.

Kim kept going, as if her hand was possessed. Bonnie reached out, wanting to feel somebody, anybody. She latched onto Shego, scratching her side. The pale woman paused to grit her teeth and groan, casting Bonnie look that was burning with desire. The look caused Bonnie to whimper and her nails dug in a little more. Shego exhaled through her nose and then turned her attention back to lavishing Kim’s body with her ardor.

“I want to just eat you up,” Shego muttered, unable to take her mouth far enough from Kim’s body to get the sentence fully out.

Shego was on a mission for Kim to feel heaven, looking to leave marks all over Kim’s body. She had to duck Kim’s arm that was on Bonnie’s breasts in order to place kisses and love bites on Kim’s torso. The redhead squirmed and moaned while was using her free hand to fondle Bonnie’s trembling body. Her hands halted as Shego’s hand slipped below her waist and she bucked against those skilled fingers, feeling like she was losing touch with reality already. Bonnie jerked and mewled softly, reminding Kim that she was supposed to be doing something and keeping her grounded enough to continue pleasuring Bonnie. 

Bonnie’s hips seemed to have a mind of their own, bucking frantically, but that let Kim know she was close. Her throat got tight and she had to swallow around a lump as she remembered how Bonnie used to move against her as the ecstasy threatened to overcome her. The memory, plus Shego’s wonderful digits massaging her, made Kim’s head swim with delight. She was sure that her brain would eventually shut down from the sensory overload.

“Oh, god,” Kim cried out, mind burning and nerves blazing with her affections and their affection.

The redhead increased her pace and Bonnie growled as her body tightened around Kim’s fingers. Kim could swear that the sensation wrapped around her whole body and made her glow, as Bonnie seemed to light up she reached the highest high. A low, wondrous moan escaped Bonnie as she fell forward, catching herself on the mattress and part of Kim as her arm feel from Shego’s form. Kim held Bonnie close as she trembled, even though her body moved Shego’s delightful hand.

“Move back to the head of the bed, baby,” Bonnie whispered as her body continued to twitch from her climax.

Kim did not argue and moved to the pillows as best she could. Bonnie helped by pushing along with her. Shego followed them and dived in as soon as Kim was settled, lips on her breasts and hands adoring her. Bonnie settled against her side and kissed her deeply on the mouth. It was almost too much to feel both of them at once. 

“Loves,” Kim mewed, quite certain that her head was going to pop off her shoulders at any moment. 

“Don’t worry, let us have you,” Shego implored in a whisper that crawled all over Kim’s skin and settled over her heart.

“Let us take care of you,” Bonnie added and all Kim could do was nod. 

“But… Shego, too,” Kim managed through a fog so thick she was sure that she would be lost in it forever.

Bonnie smiled. “Yes, of course, Shego, too.” 

Bonnie slowly moved down Kim’s body, fingers ghosting over sensitive skin, lips kissing every inch, and tongue tasting all parts until Bonnie was at Shego’s body. Kim almost swallowed her tongue as she watched Bonnie work Shego’s breasts with her mouth, kissing the heaving mounds and their rigid peaks. The sounds that Shego started to make, whining and purring, seemed to engulf the room and make it that much hotter. Kim’s eyes rolled up in the back of her head as Bonnie did more, dipping her hand in between Shego’s thighs, causing the older woman to cry out, and Shego curled her fingers just right for Kim. 

“Love you both,” Kim groaned before she was fairly sure that she turned into a puddle. A puddle made of delight and ecstasy.

“We love you, too,” she heard their voices, but it all sounded garbled to her overwhelmed mind.

-8-8-8-8-

The trio fell asleep with Kim in between them, like they always did before “the incident.” Their left hands were all exposed, twin rings glittering on all of their fingers. They would tell their families in the morning. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: wedding plans and unwanted surprises.


	10. Classics 211 — How to Rehash and Relive New Issues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Cali and Medea.
> 
> A/N: There are some references to things that happened in “In the Middle” chapters 4 and 19. I don’t think you need to go reread them, but just if you wanted to know.

10: Classics 211 — How to Rehash and Relive New Issues 

Kim was certain her parents were not expecting a conference call at five in the morning and probably were not happy to get one, but they had answered. Shego’s parents were much more awake and alert. It probably had something to do with it not being five in the morning in Greece. Kim had no idea why they were there and Shego had not shared. The trio was cuddled together in bed after a long nap, which was brought on by a few hours of lovemaking. They would get back to that as soon as they were done delivering the good news. 

“All right, everyone here?” Kim said to be sure.

“You might want to make this fast. Your father wants to go look at the sky and you know how he gets about the stars,” Ann warned them.

Kim was tempted to tell him to go ahead because she was not sure how he would receive the news. While he tolerated the relationship now, he probably would not like or approve of a wedding, for show or otherwise, between the three of them. Hopefully, her mother would keep him in check if he showed disapproval. But, more than that, she hoped he would be happy for her, for them. 

“This will only take a second,” Kim assured them.

“Then tell us what you need to tell us, dear,” Isabel requested in a sweet tone that made Shego grimace. Kim patted Shego’s thigh to keep her focused. Shego glanced down for a moment, losing all focus briefly as she lost herself in the soft feel of Kim’s hand. Thankfully, she quickly came back to herself. 

“We’re getting married,” the trio announced in unison.

“Oh, my god, yes!” Kane, of all people, shouted. That was followed by a sound of rattling and shattering. “Dammit!”

“Sit down before you break something important, dearest,” Isabel scolded her husband, who was muttering in the background now. “Anyway, this is wonderful news!”

“It is! Who proposed?” Ann inquired.

“We all did,” Bonnie answered.

“All? My firefly actually asked you both to marry her?” Isabel asked incredulously.

“Of course, I did, Mommy!” Shego huffed, clearly insulted, as if she had not been against the idea months ago.

“Shego asked first and then things snowballed. We’re all wearing two rings,” Bonnie explained while Kim caressed Shego’s thigh to keep her calm. It worked for the moment, earning a gentle purr from the former villain.

“We have to look at locations and dresses!” Isabel cheered.

“And photographers and caterers!” Ann chimed in.

“The guest list!” Isabel said.

“Flowers!” Ann added.

The trio chuckled. “You two do realize this our wedding, not yours, right?” Shego asked with a light laugh.

“And your our daughters! We want to help!” Ann proclaimed.

“ _Help_ , but we do want to plan our own wedding,” Kim gently insisted.

“Of course, dear!” Isabel chirped.

“Oh, I wanna help, too!” Kane proclaimed like an eager toddler.

Again, the trio laughed. “And we would love your help,” Bonnie cooed.

They could practically hear him preening at that, so they were not surprised by the sound of a slap echoing through the air. Kane yelped and they laughed again. Shego shook her head.

“Look, we just wanted to let you all know first. Now, we’d like to go—” Shego was cut off.

“Back to sleep!” Kim declared while Shego gave her best angelic smile.

Kane laughed. “I’ll bet. I’d like to sleep, too.”

“Ew! Daddy!” Shego pretended to complain. Her parents were way too open for that to actually bother her.

“We are still on the phone,” Ann reminded them.

Kane laughed loudly and farewells were said between everyone. The trio hung up and Shego tossed the phone across the room before diving on Bonnie. The lawyer yelped as Shego pinned her to the bed while Kim busied her hands with Shego’s naked body. The room filled with loud, lusty moans.

-8-8-8-8-

“We should start looking at venues before the moms start chiming in,” Shego suggested as the trio moved about the kitchen. They were trying to replenish their energy reserves and then they were going to go back to bed to continue celebrating. Cali trotted to get their attention while they were there.

“Baby, make sure you make your necessary calls. Monique will be upset if you don’t,” Bonnie reminded the redhead.

“I think we should both make that call. You’re her shopping buddy, after all,” Kim pointed out.

“And we have to all call Joss,” Shego spoke up.

“We should do that now before we end up distracted. Also, I have some venues saved from when I was helping Ron and Yori with their wedding. We could have Wade do a search for us about popular sites to give us better ideas,” Kim proposed.

Her lovers nodded and agreed. They went to the living room with their food and made their calls. Joss practically screamed her head off and demanded to be kept inform and up to date with everything. The trio agreed with smiles and Joss then let them go, saying she knew they had better things to do. The conversation lasted about a minute. Kim’s conversation with Ron was even shorter than that since he was still on his honeymoon.

“I can’t believe he took Yori to Disney World. I will _not_ have something like that happen with us,” Shego proclaimed.

“She wanted to go,” Kim argued. Ron was not being cheap or even unimaginative or immature. “She’s never been and she’s heard a lot about it. She wanted to see it for herself and they have honeymoon packages. He thought it was a nice surprise for her.”

“Tropical locations only,” Shego stated, making a slicing motion with her hand that made this final.

“You just want to be able to sit naked on a beach,” Bonnie teased.

“And you wouldn’t? Tiny umbrella drinks and you two naked and exhausted right next to me. Oh, it sounds like heaven,” Shego purred and quivered at the thought. “Can we go now?” she asked in an eager, childlike voice.

“Not yet. There are still phone calls to be made. Are you going to call your grandmother?” Kim suggested.

“Oh, yeah! I totally have to tell her if Mommy didn’t already blow it!” Shego grinned.

Bonnie and Kim laughed. Before Shego made that call, they called Monique, who squealed so loudly that Kim thought her eardrums would shatter. She began rattling off dresses and designers, but the lovers saved themselves from a long conversation by pointing out how much they really wanted to celebrate. She yelped and let them go.

“Call your grandmother,” Kim ordered as she passed on the phone to Shego and then took a huge bite of her sandwich. Her lovers ate their food as Shego dialed.

“Hey, Grandma, it’s Shona,” Shego said with a large grin.

“Hey, Shona,” Isabella greeted her.

“Good news, Grandma, I’m getting married!” the former villain shouted.

“To your girlfriends?” Isabella asked.

“Of course, Grandma!”

“I just want to be sure. Sometimes, you kids do weird things. I’m sure you inherited that behavior from your mother. Don’t let your mother ruin this either. She’s had more than enough chances to have a wonderful ceremony of her own, but she and Kane always insist on going back to that damned chapel in Vegas to renew their vows and other sorts of weird things. Sentimentality is not cute.” 

Shego laughed. “Aw, Grandma, you know you think Daddy’s super adorable and you love how he takes care of Mommy.”

“I admit to nothing. Keep an old lady posted. It’s wonderful there’ll finally be a real wedding around here. It only took five generations.”

“What, wasn’t your mom married to your dad? Didn’t they need to do that for him to get citizenship?”

Isabella snickered. “My father died a Korean citizen through and through. The man refused to speak English to us and his grandkids. We have never had a real wedding in this family, actually. Yes, plenty of people are legally married, but no one has had a real wedding. You’d be carrying on a tradition in the sense that it will be three people, so it’s not totally real, but close enough. I’m so happy for you, Shona.”

“I know, Grandma. I’ll keep you posted.” 

“I know you will. Now, go have celebratory sex, like you know you want to.”

Shego laughed and then bid her grandmother goodnight. She then finished her sandwich while Kim contacted Wade. He congratulated them and before he even finished that word, he had sent off a list of venues based on things Kim had already liked from searching for Ron’s wedding. 

“Oh, and before you disappear for a while, I thought you guys might want to know Cali’s DNA results. I mean since things have finally settled down and before you get lost in this new excitement,” Wade said.

“Please and thank you,” all three of them replied. 

Wade chuckled. “Well, Cali is a mix of gray wolf and ocelot mostly. Her strange calico coat seems to be from her having a wolf’s coat pattern, but the ocelot’s coloring and hair length. She’s bigger than an ocelot, but clearly nowhere near the size of a wolf. Her big paws and ears are from her wolf’s blood.” 

“What about her being able to turn into a cat-human?” Bonnie inquired.

“Now that is tricky. Not seeing any kind of human DNA in there. There are some mutations that I can’t figure out yet, which could be what makes her transform. It makes sense for the mutations to be there since Dementor has a background in animal mutation. I’ll keep looking, just for my own curiosity, but she’s healthy. Do you want to know what I estimate her lifespan at?”

“What? No! She’s sitting right here,” Bonnie objected, petting Cali’s head. The cat tilted her head, probably completely confused on what was going on. They just all knew dogs and cats did not live that long.

“Yeah, Wade, you don’t need to tell us about that. Thanks for everything,” Kim stated. It never occurred to her that Cali might only have the lifespan of the average cat or dog and she did not want to think about it now. However much time they had with Cali would be spent loving her.

“No problem and, just to keep you from worrying, Cali should have decades ahead of her. Bye, now,” he said before disconnecting.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Kim sighed and Bonnie nodded.

Shego scoffed and reached out to roughly shove Cali’s head. “This little hairball will probably outlive the lot of us.” Cali snorted and shook her head. The other two women smiled and laughed.

“Hey, baby, are you going to call your brother? Johnnie is trying, so maybe you should meet him a little way,” Kim pointed out.

Bonnie nodded. “You’re right. I want to tell him in person, though.” So, she called Johnnie and set up a meeting with him. They would have lunch together tomorrow.

“Well, food done and family for the most part has been informed. Time to go back to bed,” Shego announced with a grin.

Her girlfriends did not object. Kim made sure Cali had food and water before making her way back to the bedroom. They all shed their clothes and went right back to adoring each other.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie was not sure if she had ever witnessed her brother rise to his feet as quickly as he had when she entered the diner that where he had agreed to meet her. His blue eyes lit up as he smiled and hugged her as soon as she was close. She did her best not to flinch and returned the embrace after reminding herself that it was unlikely he would hurt her now. He was trying and she was trying. It was just her body still remembered how he was a long time ago. His smile turned into a grin as they slid into the small booth.

“I’m glad you wanted to meet up,” Johnnie stated the obvious.

“Yeah, I’m sorry we don’t do it more often, but I’ve been really busy with work and Kim,” Bonnie replied. They were supposed to be getting closer, but she had tapered down on meeting with him since “the incident.” Because of that, she was back to being a little uncomfortable around him and he seemed a little awkward.

“How is Kim?” He was aware that the hero had been horribly injured, but he did not know all of the details. He had spoken to Kim, she still liked him quite a bit, but she was never really forthcoming with what happened to her. She mostly just tried to help him figure out how to get Bonnie to speak with him. Little by little, he hoped it worked.

“She’s almost back to normal. She’s teaching her classes again, but she has to use Shego’s brothers whenever she has to do a demonstration. She doesn’t even need a cane anymore.”

Smiling, he nodded. “That’s wonderful. I’m glad she’s doing better. Maybe I’ll stop by and see her one day.”

“I’m sure she’d like that.”

“And you? You’re cool with it, right?”

Bonnie nodded and smiled. Their conversation paused as a waiter came over. With their orders out of the way, they turned their attention back to each other. 

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Johnnie asked, a shaky smile on his lips. 

It was a little sad to know the time between when they last saw each other and now had put that distance back between them. But, his nervousness made her a little happy. It let her know that he was very aware he had a long way to go on the road of forgiveness with her. But, one day, she hoped there would be forgiveness and they would both be comfortable with each other.

“I’m getting married,” she answered casually. 

His mouth damn near went through the table. “Wha-what? To who?” he stammered.

She chuckled. “To my girlfriends, silly. See.” She held up her left hand to show off her two shining engagement rings. Her brother’s jaw remained in his lap. 

“Oh, my god. Those are beautiful,” he whispered and then looked directly in her eyes. “Congratulations.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“So, when did this happen?” 

“A couple of days ago. Shego proposed and it all clicked from there. We’re going to start looking at venues and talk dates tonight.”

He nodded. “That’s good. What do you want? A small ceremony or large?”

“We’ll probably end up going small. Kim will probably only invite immediate family because they know about us. I will probably only invite you and my boss. We really only have to worry about Shego’s giant family and the fact that they all will probably want to come.” And she meant _all_ , not just parents, brothers, and such, but everyone who was remotely related to Shego.

He gave her another nod. “So, her family all knows about you?”

“Yeah, as far as I can tell. They all seem cool about it. I don’t know if she’ll want to invite all of them, but she might.” 

“Then you want a small wedding.” He pointed to her. “Do you know what kind?”

She shrugged. “We haven’t discussed that yet, but I think I’d like a beach wedding. I’m sure I could convince Shego to the same. I’m not sure about Kim.” 

An amused smile lit up his face. “C’mon, that’s your baby. You can convince her of pretty much anything. She loves spoiling you.”

Bonnie laughed at the truth in those words. She was certain that if she and Shego wanted a beach wedding, Kim would agree. But, she wanted Kim to have her dream wedding, too. Before she ended up thinking too hard on it, their food arrived. 

“How’s Brick doing?” Bonnie asked.

“He’s good. We’re thinking about getting a dog, but we want to have a house first,” he answered.

“You should get a cat.” 

He shook his head. “Brick would kill me for even suggesting a cat. He’s so butch.”

She had to laugh at that. “Ah, to be a lesbian. Even the butchest of us enjoys having a cat.” 

He arched an eyebrow. “And just who is the butchest amongst you?” 

Bonnie only laughed because she had no idea. She felt like they were all equal parts butch and femme. Sometimes, she felt like they were different versions of the same person, which could be why they got along so well or it could have come from being together for so long.

“Beyond thoughts on pets and moving, what have you been up to?” she asked. 

“Nothing much. I’ve gone back to school to get a better job.”

Her brow furrowed a little. “I thought you got promoted.” 

“I did, but it’s still not enough money to do much. I mean, after rent and bills, there’s not a lot left over. I want to do better.”

“Well, I wish you luck on getting a better job.” 

Smiling, he nodded a little. “That’s why we’re making all of these grand plans. I have to get a decent job first, but once I start making more money, we should be able to move and everything. What about you? How’s work going?”

A smile spread across her face. “Work’s going well. My boss is pretty fair and I’m rather good at.”

“Ego much?” he teased with a chuckle. 

“It’s not bragging if it’s true.” She had come to enjoy her work without Lyle around and without Heather bothering her. Plus, her boss, Charlie Darrow, seemed to respect her now. Things were definitely looking up.

He conceded that with a shrug. “You make me wish I’d followed my dream.” 

“Well, I had Kim pushing me, which is why I’m all about marrying that girl. Have you and Brick considered marriage?”

A demure smile settled or his face and he shook his head. “We’re not the marrying type. We’re happy as we are.” 

“But, would be happier with a dog?” 

Chuckling, he nodded. They continued conversing about everyday things. They made plans to meet up again next week. She left lunch smiling. Maybe there was not as much distance between them as she thought and maybe the road to forgiveness was not as long as he thought. 

-8-8-8-8-

The trio was surprised their mothers came over so quickly with materials. Bonnie was barely in the door while Kim and Shego were just dismissing their last students, but Isabel and Ann were in the living room. There were brochures and pamphlets all over the place. The moms smiled at the trio as they entered the apartment.

“Mommy, what the hell are you doing here?” Shego barked, glaring at her mother as if she had committed some horrible crime.

“Firefly, look at all of these gorgeous locations!” Isabel grinned, spreading her arms over the mess.

“There are local places, too, equally lovely,” Ann insisted, picking up several pamphlets and fanning them out to show the trio.

“Guys, we only just started looking at venues,” Kim pointed out.

“Well, what’s a few more?” Isabel asked, smile still as wide as all outside.

“This is a few?” Bonnie wondered aloud as her eyes scanned the large mess. She would hate to see what the moms considered “a lot.”

“Who let you in?” Shego demanded.

Of course, Cali chose that moment to fall into view from her spot on a shelf. Shego glared at the feline, who seemed more interested in rolling in all if the paper than anything else. Shego gave up with a sigh as soon as Cali acknowledged them with some brief leg rubbing.

“Come on, look,” Ann urged them, waving them over.

“Hold on, that’s not what we do when we come home,” Kim answered gently. The mothers glanced at each other and then glanced down in embarrassment. They had to unwind a little, especially after being ambushed.

The trio decided to go about their nightly routine, if only to give their mothers the idea that they had semi-violated their space. By the time they returned to the living room, they half-expected to find it empty. But, their mothers were still there, waiting patiently. After getting some snacks, they joined the moms. 

“Now, I was hoping you’d decide to do a tropical location,” Isabel said, gathering up several brochures.

“What? What if I want to have snow?” Shego stated. 

Isabel’s face actually fell. Shego had never seen such a sight in her life. She did not know how to react to it, so she kept her mouth shut. Tension rose in the room, the air pressure was intense, crushing. They all glanced at each other, wondering what would happen next.

“Firefly, for this occasion, I wish to call a truce,” Isabel said in a low, almost small voice.

Shego blinked. “A truce?”

“To our thing. I don’t want to fight for the sake of fighting. I truly want to help you all have a wonderful wedding without an argument or a contest of wills over every little thing. I want all of your responses to be genuine and I want to be able to know when I should take a step back,” Isabel explained.

“Uh… a truce… Well, I guess we can do that. Um…” Shego seemed confused, eyes searching the floor for something to focus on. This had never happened before and Shego was not even sure how she was supposed to act with her mother if they were not antagonizing each other. She tried to think back to a long time ago when things had been different. Could she act like that. 

Bonnie put her hand on Shego’s shoulder. “I think I’d like a tropical location because I want warm weather and a beach.”

“So, you want to do a destination wedding?” Kim asked.

“But, there are so many lovely places right here or close to here,” Ann stated, holding up almost ten little pamphlets. The top one showed an amazing lakeside resort.

“Your father wanted me to mention that money is no object. He wanted to come, but he’s in Italy, trying to tell as much of his family as possible about you getting married,” Isabel reported with a smile. 

Shego groaned. “They’re all going to want to come now.”

“Of course, they are. Did you really think they wouldn’t hear about this or expect invitations?” Isabel pointed out. 

“It’ll be a little hard to have a small wedding with every Han and Go on Earth trying to show up,” Shego countered.

“You wanted a small wedding, sweetheart?” Kim asked with stunned, wide eyes. Shego liked to do things big, after all. 

Shego shrugged. “I didn’t want everyone and their mother there. Besides, you both already said you weren’t going to invite a lot of people. I don’t want both sides of my huge ass family showing up when you’re only going to have immediate family there.” 

Isabel took out a notepad from her jacket pocket. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Maybe we should just narrow down the venue and then discuss a guest list. After all, the where might affect the who,” Kim pointed out.

They accepted that, even though it was not really the case. Wherever they decided to have the wedding, they all knew they would move heaven and Earth to get the people that they wanted there, especially after Kane decided that money was no object for this event. Still, they needed to focus on one thing at a time rather than just argue or discuss every little aspect of a wedding that was barely official yet.

They went through the different brochures, showing everything that seemed appealing to everyone. Ones that all three soon-to-be brides liked went into one pile while the leftovers went into a trash bag. Cali kept herself busy by playing in the leftover ones because she could not figure out what a wedding was, so she had nothing to offer her humans.

It would become a trend for them all to meet up at least twice a week to discuss wedding plans. When Kane returned from Italy, he occasionally joined them. Usually, Isabel gave him chores, though. He price-checked, haggled, and double-checked things for them. On more than one occasion, at least one brother or more begged to help. It felt like a whole family affair, except for one person. 

-8-8-8-8-

Kim waved from the top of the stairs as her father stepped into the school. Yori had gone to lunch with her husband while Shego was out with both sets of twins to find a good fire works company; of course, Shego wanted pyrotechnics at the wedding. Jim and Tim had insisted that they could handle it, but Shego argued they should just enjoy the event rather than work at it. Besides, she did not want to chance the Possible twins doing something beyond what she wanted, which was highly likely.

“Dad, I’m so happy you came. Let’s go get something to eat,” Kim suggested, taking her father by the arm and gently pulling him out of the building.

“Hey, Kimmie-cub, why don’t we just go upstairs?” he countered, pointing back inside the building.

“Uh, no, I want something from the deli down the street.” It was not exactly a lie, but she also did not want her father to see upstairs because it was littered with items about the wedding. Since he had not said a word about it or volunteered to do a thing in it, she could only assume he was not in favor it. She hoped to change that.

They quietly strolled to the deli on the corner and ordered sandwiches. Kim then took a seat at one of only three small tables by the window. James followed suit.

“All right, Kimmie, what’s this about?” he asked as he unwrapped his sandwich. He did not seem suspicious or upset, only curious.

“You know what it’s about, Dad. Why are you acting like this in regards to the wedding? Everyone else is stoked and then there’s you. We get calls from Joss, begging to help put this together and she’s in a different state. Nana even asked what she could do and she’s in a different state and is not as close to any of us as you are. You’re right here in both senses of the phrase and we’ve got nothing. Not even a word of encouragement. What’s wrong?” she begged.

Frowning, he glanced away. “Kimmie, I still think you’re making a mistake with Shego.” And there it was, hanging out there in the wind, all pink and exposed. It did not bother her as it would have before, though. She was over it.

“That’s your opinion, Dad. I love Shego and Bonnie loves Shego, so Shego is staying. Hasn’t Shego proven she’s here for the long haul and not a threat?” 

“Have you ever considered that Bonnie loves you so much that she’ll do anything to keep you, including claim to love Shego and agree to this three-way wedding?”

She arched an eyebrow. “That’s the best you can do? Bonnie’s not scared to make her opinion known and she’s definitely not scared to say so if something is bothering her. It might take some persuasion, but she’ll always tell. She’s happy with the way things are. I know you have a problem with Shego, but she’s not that bad and we’re getting married.”

“Kimmie, she tried to hurt you before.”

“Yeah, but she’s changed, Dad, and besides, that was kinda our thing.” Kim shrugged. It seemed weird to say, but in the beginning when Shego was Drakken’s sidekick, they got to know each other through trying to hurt each other. Soon, the fighting became a game. Sometimes, it felt like playing around with a friend. 

“Your thing?” he echoed. 

“Yes, our thing. I mean, that’s what we do, even now. I mean, we’re not trying to hurt each other, per se. But, we fight, we make fun of each other, and we enjoy it.”

He sighed. “That sounds…” He just shook his head. 

She knew he thought Shego was a bad influence on her and she doubted that just helped. She also doubted she could ever really change his mind about Shego. Part of her understood. Shego used to be a villain and probably one of the few could really hurt her. He could not let that go, which made sense. He was her father, after all.

Before she could express those thoughts, he had to go out of his way to prove how stubborn and against Shego he really was. “Don’t you care about this mockery you’re making on marriage?” 

Kim gave him a deadpan look. “Really, Dad? The whole ‘marriage is between a man and a woman’ speech when I already know you love Bonnie and would jump for joy if she changed her last name to Possible?”

He shook his head again. “Not a man and a woman, but two people in love. How can you even consider doing this, knowing that you love one more than the other?” 

Now, she scowled deeply. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Dad, and don’t tell me my own feelings about the women I love. I love them equally and we work. If other people have similar relationships and they can make if work, screw everybody else.” 

He took a deep breath before trying another angle. “Kimmie, think about this. If it got out, it could affect you as a hero.”

She scoffed. “I’ll be a hero no matter what. Nothing about this bothers me or anyone else for that matter. You’re the only one with a million and one reasons why this is such a bad idea. Why? Because of Shego or because of multiple partners?”

“Both, really. Kimmie, I feel like you’ve forgotten who Shego is and what she’s done,” he huffed. He probably really only had a problem with Shego and then just felt like she somehow talked Kim into an unconventional relationship. Not that any of it mattered because Shego was there to stay and her father would have to learn to deal with her.

“Dad.” Kim gave him a leveled look. “She’s changed and that’s that. She’s happy with the person she is now and she’s not going to go back to the dark side because it’s got nothing to offer her. And, you might think it’s impossible to fall in love with more than one person at a time, but you’re talking to the woman that can do anything and her partners are equally amazing. As a scientist, you should be able to respect the fact that there are just some things beyond your understanding, but you accept them just the same. My relationship with Bonnie and Shego should top your list.”

James was silent and took large bites of his sandwich to avoid talking. While Kim had anticipated the topic of conversation, it still troubled her enough that she could not touch her sandwich. She watched her father eat.

“Kim, on an intellectual level, I do get what you mean. I’ve had this discussion many times with your mother. But, in my heart, I want what’s best for you and I want you to be happy. I honestly worry Shego will break your heart. I never worry about that with Bonnie,” he explained.

She blinked, not expecting him to give such an honest response. “Dad, you have to trust Shego, like Bonnie and I do. We have faith in her that she’ll be there for us. You have to have faith in her, in me, and one way to do that would be to get to know her by spending time with her. You should get to know her and you’ll see that she’s a different person than who you think she is. You could do that by helping with the wedding.” 

James sighed, but he nodded. “You’re right. I know this means a lot to you, but this thing with Shego just bothers me. I hope you’re right about her.”

Kim smiled brightly. “I am.”

He nodded. “So, what do you need me to do?” Her smile grew. 

-8-8-8-8-

News of the trio’s upcoming wedding spread like wild fire, reaching the ears of old friends and enemies. Most did not believe it because it sounded so outrageous. Medea believed every word of it, including rumors that Shego or Kim (depending on who was telling) was somehow going to get a private island to hold the wedding on. She snarled, pacing her loft apartment that was in Upperton to keep her close to what she desired.

“That should be me getting married to Shego! She loves me! She’s always loved me! I just wasn’t ready yet, but I am now and I won’t allow those bitches to stand in the way of my destiny,” she declared, throwing her fist up. 

She knew she could not fight them on her own, though, especially not with that damned weird cat on their side. Not to mention, she had been roughly keeping track of Kim’s adventures before her accident and she did not like some of the places the little hero had visited, places that could provide her with wards, counter-spells, and all other sorts of magic. Then there were the charms that they had placed all around the building. She had done her research, but she knew that she needed more. She needed allies.

She had complied a list of enemies for the trio and was not surprised by the length. Only one name appeared for all three and he was the easiest to find. Doctor Drakken had been rotting in prison after a failed kidnapping of Bonnie Rockwaller, which had been thwarted by none other than Shego and Kim Possible. She imagined he wanted revenge just as badly as she did. 

While working on a plan to break him out of jail and how she was going to get her lover back, she researched him and discovered he was a scientist, a mad genius by some accounts. She hoped his inventions came in handy in taking down that Fortress they called a school. It was now covered in fetishes that protected it from a lot of magic. She hoped science could overcome what magic could not and vice versa.

Breaking into the prison to get Drakken was not very difficult as she could teleport with ease. The problem was making sure he did not freak out when she appeared in his cell. She needed to go because she wanted to make sure she pulled the right guy out the first time to avoid people learning of the plan. Unfortunately, she did not know how excitable Drakken was. 

The scientist let out a screech that sounded a little like, “GHOST!” and practically dived under his cot when she came into the tiny cell. She hoped if someone heard him, they should he was just crazy. She did not say anything, but she needed to get a good look at him. The cerulean skin was enough for her and she stole Drakken away, replacing him with a crude magical doppelganger that would be fine as long as no one expected it to speak. She figured it would buy them some time. 

“What’s going on?” Drakken demanded in a mumble as they made their getaway, flying on her broom. His jaw appeared to be wired shut, so that explained the mumbles. That also explained why he had not screamed when she entered his room.

“This is a jailbreak. My name is Medea and I want to help you get revenge,” she explained this because she did not want him to do anything crazy. She needed some concentration to fly the broom, after all. 

“Revenge?” he echoed through his teeth.

“Against Shego and Kim Possible.” 

Drakken did not ask any more questions after that, even though he seemed confused on what was going on. Revenge seemed to be all he needed. She smiled internally, even though she was only going to let him have his revenge against Kim. Shego was all hers, after all.

They went to her loft and in the much better lighting of the apartment, she was able to see his dozens of injures. He was bruised from head to toe. How he got them in solitary confinement was a mystery to her, but she supposed that it was not important.

“We don’t have much time, so let me go get my spell book to heal your injuries,” Medea said.

“Spell book?” he echoed in a dazed tone. “What are you?” He studied her, squinting at her, as if trying to determine if he knew her. 

Rolling her eyes, she laughed a little. “I’d have thought that obvious when we were making our getaway on a broom. I need my spell book to heal you.”

“You’re a witch?”

“Again, I’d have thought that was obvious. Now, I need to prepare a potion.” 

“Can’t you just wave your hand or something?”

She laughed again. “No, my magic doesn’t work that way. I need my spell book for most serious spells, like healing someone. It’ll only take a few minutes.” 

Drakken did not say anything; more than likely because his jaw hurt from the little bit of talking he had already done. She went about her business, glad to not have to explain her magic to him. He sat quietly on the sofa and waited for her to mix the potion. It took almost an hour, but when it was ready, she handed it to Drakken.

“Drink it,” she ordered as he made a face at the cup. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“Just drink it.” 

“What flavor is it?”

“Vengeance.”

He looked at her as if to tell her that vengeance was not a flavor. She took the moment that he opened his mouth to force the mug to his lips. He sputtered and coughed as the bitter liquid burned its way down his throat. She forced the cup up to make sure he drank all of it. Sneering, she wondered if she had made a mistake as his bruises vanished. She snapped her fingers and got rid of the wiring in his mouth. 

“Are you crazy?” he demanded, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“No, but you’re healed if you didn’t notice,” she pointed out. She hoped that the screaming was not the norm for him or she might have to cast a silencing spell on him. Maybe she should put the wiring back in place, just in case. 

He raised his hand, ready to really lay into her more than likely, but stopped. Scrunching up his face, he moved his hand and then his arm. He felt his jaw and his cheeks. A crooked smile settled on his face as he tested his limbs.

“What did you say your name was again and what do you want to do to Kim Possible and Shego?” The question got a smile out of her. 

-8-8-8-8-

“I want these flowers for the centerpieces,” Bonnie declared, holding up a picture. The trio was in the living room, sitting around on the sofa. Cali was with them, wandering from person to person and rolling around a loving lap. Occasionally, one of them would absently rub her head. 

“No! Stop showing us these damned things,” Shego huffed, swiftly snatching the picture from Bonnie and tearing it up.

“Shego!” Bonnie and Kim scolded her.

“What? We keep telling her we don’t want these damned flowers for the centerpieces or anything else and she keeps shoving these things in our faces,” Shego growled.

“I like them!” Bonnie argued. 

“Bonnie, baby, please, stop with the flowers. This is serious and we don’t want those flowers,” Kim stated.

“But, they’re cute!” Bonnie whined. 

Her girlfriends only glared at her. The wedding was driving them crazy. There seemed to be so many of the details they could not seem to agree on, that seemed to start an argument, that occasionally led to tears, but did always lead to steamy, delicious makeup sex. Of course, they could only hope the wedding did not lead to their divorce as they had trouble all agreeing on everything. 

“Oh!” Cali transformed, leaning over Kim’s shoulder. She pressed her large hand against Kim’s back and leaned over even more. “I like that! What’s that?” she inquired, tumbling over Kim’s shoulder while turning back into a cat. She purred landed in Kim’s lap.

Just as the hero was about to answer, the building shook violently. The ladies all looked at each other and frowned. Cali rolled off of Kim as the hero rose to her feet. They turned to the window to see missiles flying toward the window. The missiles clashed against their shield. The sound thundered and the building rocked a little. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Shego growled.

“Obviously we’re under attack,” Kim pointed out with a deadpan expression. 

“Who in their right mind is attacking us?” Bonnie wondered aloud.

“Let’s go find out.” Shego went the window and gazed out into the neighborhood. She gasped when she spied the cause of the disturbance. “Drakken!”

“Drakken?” the younger pair echoed as if they did not know who he was and joined Shego for a closer look. There was Drakken, same blue nut-job that they had seen a long time ago, somehow out of prison and sitting pretty in one of his many death machines. 

Bonnie scrunched up her face in disbelief. “How’d he get out of jail?”

“The better question is, how’s he going back? Because he’ll be lucky if I _only_ break his arms and legs for disturbing us while we have wedding decisions to make!” Shego roared as she opened the window and wasted no time leaping out. 

Kim smirked. “I could use a light workout to see if I’m back up to par. Come on, Cali, let’s show Drakken what happened to the last death machine to come to our building and disrupt our lives.” Cali grinned.

“Baby, wait, are you sure you’re ready for this?” Bonnie asked. 

“I was born ready,” Kim answered, already out the window. “Besides, it’s just Drakken.” Cali followed her.

“Those sounds like famous last words!” Bonnie shouted after them, moving to man the cameras and defend the building if anything got by her lovers.  

-8-8-8-8-

“Drakken, how the hell did you get out of jail?” Shego growled as she ignited her hands. She focused her attention on the hovercraft that was built like a tank with amazing weapons that any air force would envy.

“It’s none of your concern after you left me to rot!” he hollered. Unleashing a clawed arm at her that she dodged, causing it tear into the sidewalk. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? What they’ve been doing to me in prison? Do you?” he screamed.

“Do you really think I give a fuck? You tried to kill me!” Shego snarled, throwing a plasma blast at him. 

“You tried to leave me!”

“No, I didn’t and you tried to hurt my girlfriend!” 

“Mine too!” Kim pointed out as she landed on the hovercraft.  

“Kim Possible!” he shouted in surprise, just like old times. 

“And me!” Cali declared, landing next to Kim, purposely putting all of her weight into it. Kim was launched into the air while the hovercraft into a nose drive.

“Who are you?” Drakken screamed as he tried to right the shaking aircraft. His cold black eyes glared at Cali, who gave him a toothy grin.

“Family housecat,” Kim answered as she landed in the seat next to him and punched him right in the face. Once upon a time, she would not have been so directly violent with him, but this was the man that had tried to kill Shego off of an assumption that she was going to work for someone else and had kidnapped Bonnie to use as bait against the both of them. 

Drakken groaned and his head snapped to the side. He lost control over the craft and Shego fired several plasma blasts at the bottom to help it in crashing. Just as it was about to collide with the school building, Drakken jerked the controls and made the hovercraft lurch to the side, missing the building.

“I’ll teach you!” Drakken declared, pressing a button and the whole vehicle became electrified.

Cali screeched and leaped off of the thing as if her tail was on fire. Kim snarled and hit Drakken again, following through with knuckles, wrist, and elbow. Blood shot from his now broken nose. He put both hands on his face, which she was hardly interested in for the moment. She grabbed the controls and steered the craft right into the building, leaping out before their defenses tore it to pieces. Shego caught her with ease as she landed. 

Drakken ejected just as the hovercraft exploded and tried to fly off with a jetpack. Shego ended that idea with a well-aimed shot of plasma. He was high enough in the air where the fall would injure him severely but would not kill him, so they just let him drop. They all winced when the sound of bones breaking and the impact reached them.

“That probably hurt,” Shego commented. “Or so I hope anyway.”

“What the hell was that all about? How did he even get out of jail?” Kim wondered aloud while Cali slowly crept over to the fallen doctor, just to make sure he was not going to get back up again. 

“Yeah, he’s not capable of doing it on his own,” Shego concurred, nodding and staring at her former employer. She scratched her chin. “Who would break him out of jail?”

“Good question.”

-8-8-8-8- 

Bonnie sat at the computer, looking at the cameras. She smiled as her lovers took Drakken down. She turned around, ready to meet her loves when they came from the door, but she did not make it that far. Gasping, she was stared down by hard blue eyes.

“Medea,” Bonnie whispered. 

Medea grinned like a great white shark. “Hello, Bonnie. Nice to see you again.”

“How did you get in?” Bonnie demanded, backing up a little, even though she knew that it would not do any good. “We’ve got charms.” 

“Oh, yes, I know. I had to study up on them and I’ve figured out how to bypass them. Now, to bypass you,” Medea declared and her eyes flashed.

Bonnie’s nostrils flared and she stood her ground, crouching slightly, ready to get into her defensive stance. “You don’t scare me.” 

“I don’t want to scare you,” Medea hissed.

“Why are you even doing this? You had your chance with Shego and didn’t want to come out of the closet. What the hell is the problem? You didn’t want her and now she doesn’t want you,” Bonnie pointed out. 

“I love her and she loves me! I wasn’t ready to come out as a teenager, but as an adult life is different.”

Bonnie scoffed. “Different how?” 

“It’s none of your business. Now, stop trying to stall me because I will destroy you before they come back.”

“And do you really think that Shego will like you if you murder me?” 

“She’ll never know.”

“I doubt that,” Bonnie stated with a smirk. 

The confidence in her tone and face made Medea turn around, probably thinking her girlfriends were behind her. Bonnie used that chance to rush Medea and hit her with a kick that certainly would have made her girlfriends proud of her. Medea grunted and fell back while Bonnie kept on coming.

“Bitch!” Medea roared, blood pouring from her lip as she threw her hand out and stopping Bonnie with her magic. 

Bonnie growled. “I’m not going down without a fight!” She tried to move forward, but she was frozen.

“You’re going down right now, though. Whore,” Medea spit.

Bonnie tensed, wanting to punch Medea in the face with all of her might. Medea grunted and had to take a step toward Bonnie. She wiped blood from her nose and smirked at her captive.

“Struggle all you want, but I have you now,” the witch stated and let loose an evil chuckle that turned into a choking noise as a ribbon wrapped around her neck.

“Funny, I was just going to say the same to you,” Kim commented, speaking in Medea’s ear and she tightened the ligature she had around the witch’s throat. Medea gagged and Bonnie fell to the floor. 

“How?” Medea croaked, putting her hands to the ribbon and feeling as if it was burning her flesh.

“I got this a while ago on a trip to what most people would consider the middle of nowhere and some holy men thought this would fight against harmful magic pretty well. They said it would stop the darkness within. Who knew they were right,” Kim said with a smirk. 

Medea gagged as Kim held her tight. Cali went to help Bonnie up. Shego came around to the front of Medea and grabbed her hands.

“They came in pairs,” Shego said as she began tying up Medea’s hands.

Medea snarled and lurched forward as if trying to attack, only to stumble off balance. Kim actually let her go while Shego moved out of the way and she fell on her face. Coughing, more blood poured out of her damaged lip. Shego leaned down and grabbed her by the hair.

“You’re a fucking moron, you know? You broke Drakken out of jail and didn’t think he’d give you up the second things got tough? He’s out there screaming for you to come and heal him like you did before. Stupid,” Shego snorted and shoved Medea’s head into the floor. 

“AH! Release me!” Medea ordered, hissing in pain. Suddenly, she hollered in agony, a sign that she was trying to use her magic.

“Calm down. You try to use your powers and the bonds will just burn more,” Kim warned her, tying Medea’s feet with the ribbon in her hand.

“Let her try. Hopefully, the pain will make her pass out and we don’t have to put up with this shit anymore,” Shego remarked.

Kim shrugged. “You’re right about.” She made sure that the ribbons were good and tight around the witch, who continued to cry out in pain.

Shego went over to Bonnie to make sure that she was all right. Kim made sure that Medea could not move, even though she tried to. Medea was held for a while longer than Drakken, who was picked up by regular authorities. Global Justice took Medea because the trio figured they would be better equipped to hold her. They made it clear she was not to be treated like a lab rat or there would be consequences. After they got assurances that Medea would be held as a prisoner and not as something else, they cleaned up the apartment and then went back to planning their wedding.

After all, that was practically normal. They had a wedding to get to, after all.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a wedding.


	11. Chemistry 211 — How to Combine Complex Molecules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Isabel, Kane, Isabella, Victoria, Cali, and Jennifer.
> 
> A/N: Part of this chapter is brought to you by an idea from Wifkala. Thanks for the idea.

11: Chemistry 211 — How to Combine Complex Molecules

Everything was in place for the trio’s wedding. They had decided on most things and what they could not agree on, they left to the Moms, as they had taken to calling Ann and Isabel. Thanks to Kane’s “money is no object,” the extravagant wedding was put together in little more than three months.

Bonnie, Shego, and Kim had all agreed to a beach ceremony. Even though it was supposed to be an intimate affair with just their immediate family in attendance, they changed that because so much of Shego’s extended family begged to come. Most of them could not believe that Shego of all people was getting married. The trio did not mind more people after they decided to forgo the tradition split of the wedding audience, instead having one mass audience to show that their families were one big family.

The reception would be in a large banquet hall right on the sparkling sapphire water. Three sides of the place had breath-taking views of the beach and ocean. Columns lined the area, giving it the feel of being in an ancient Greek temple, like the gods were blessing the party. Crystal chandeliers hung from ceilings with elaborate frescos painted on them. The floor looked like the ocean itself, complete with waves. The whole place glowed warmly when the sunset and that was the effect the trio were hoping to catch.

People began making their way to where the ceremony would take place. Trails of black sand marked the path that each bride would take to an intricately designed gazebo. Since the marriage was more symbolic than anything else, they had decided to use a person that they felt needed to witness their union and who would finally admit to just being happy for them to conduct the ceremony — Doctor Director.  She had been at the bottom of a long list, but won out by simply not being related to any of them. 

Doctor Director had put up a bit of fight, mostly not wanting to believe that Kim Possible of all people was in a relationship with Shego. Once she got over that, she had trouble grasping the concept that the three of them were in a relationship, but they were able to talk her into understanding that. Then, of course, she needed to point out that no place on Earth would recognize the union of three women to each other. Once she accepted the fact that the wedding was symbolic, she then needed to argue the first point again. She finally agreed when it became clear Kim was not going to give and was very intent on marrying Shego and Bonnie. They were going to get married.

-8-8-8-8-

“Shona, I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Isabella, Shego’s grandmother, commented with a smile. She was now an addition to “the Moms,” along with Kim’s grandmother. Kane and James had tried to get added, but the brides refused on the grounds that they were dads and therefore not Moms. Of course, Kane was truly insulted and decided that he and James were “the Dads,” but the “group” had yet to be officially recognized.

“You and me both,” Shego replied with a smile of her own as her makeup was applied. 

“You picked a beautiful dress,” Isabella said.

Shego nodded. “Mommy actually helped pick this dress out.” Her dress was pure white satin with elaborate lace designs. It was strapless with sweetheart neckline and the dress flowed out as if it was whipped cream. 

“Hey, your mommy was not the only one that helped,” Shego’s aunt, Victoria, objected as she entered the room. “I also helped her get her hair done. Isn’t it fucking fantastic?” Shego had her hair done in an up-do that was decorated with pearls.

“Well, it’s nice to see my daughters aren’t completely useless,” Isabella stated with a smirk.

“Mommy!” Victoria whined, throwing in an exaggerated pout. 

Isabella’s blue eyes rolled while Shego snickered to herself. Victoria did not let that bother her and stepped closer to inspect her niece. Shego was almost done with her makeup, cutting it close. She had resisted having makeup done for a while for surprisingly insecure reasons. Her fiancées had to assure her that the makeup was not to hide her features, but to highlight them. 

“What made you stop threatening to burn the makeup artist asunder? Your mommy get you to?” Victoria teased.

“I still have a lot of threats in me, Auntie,” Shego remarked, holding up a fist.

“Yeah, but by the time you get out of that chair and away from your brides, I’ll be home and you won’t be able to walk for a month,” her aunt pointed out.

Shego could not argue that one, especially since she hoped it was true. She zoned out briefly, imagining the honeymoon. It was going to be sweet! Her grandmother tapping her brought her out of the drool-inducing fantasy. 

“What, Grandma? You’re going to make me turn,” Shego complained, doing her best to stay still to make things go smoother. Truth of the matter, she should not even be talking, but the makeup artist knew better than to tell her to stop.

“Do you have those things you need? Those traditional things?” Isabella asked with an arched eyebrow. 

Shego snickered at the very vague term of “those things.” She was not used to her grandmother sounding so unsure of anything, but she supposed it came from the fact that her grandmother had not gotten married. She wondered about the man who had two kids with her grandmother, but had not married her. She never asked about him. No one did. He might be an unhappy memory for Isabella and no one wanted to upset her.

“Hey, Grandma, did you want a traditional wedding?” Shego asked. She knew her grandmother wanted that for her daughters and her grandchildren.

Isabella stared at Shego for a long moment and the former thief felt like squirming in her seat. She had been trained not to ask her grandmother personal questions. If Grandma wanted them to know, she would tell them without prompting. Suffice to say, Grandma did not offer much personal information.

“No, I never wanted a traditional wedding. Hell, I didn’t even live in the same house with the girls’ father after they were born. It was enough to love him and have him love me,” Isabella answered and Shego was convinced that the sentimentality of the wedding had brainwashed her grandmother. From the way Victoria’s mouth hung open, Shego thought her aunt might pass out from the shock. 

“Mommy…” Victoria whispered in a quivering tone. 

Isabella smiled softly and patted Shego on the shoulder. “Just as Hans rarely have traditional weddings, we rarely have traditional relationships. We do what makes us happy. You’re doing that, just like every other member of our family. Treat your mates properly and love them wholeheartedly. You never know how much time you have with them.”

Shego only nodded, knowing her grandmother spoke from experience. She would definitely treat her Princess and Duchess like the royals they were. They had been through too much for her to start taking them for granted, especially after agreeing to marry them.

-8-8-8-8- 

Kim wished her mother would stop crying. It was making her nervous and she had said as much. Ann had tried to cease, but could only dial it down some. Thankfully, her grandmother kept it together or Kim was sure that she would have started weeping, too.

“I’m glad you’re finally marrying Bonnie. Although, I expected something more traditional and less extravagant,” her grandmother commented with a soft smile.

“Once Shego gets involved extravagant is pedestrian and her father wants to waste his entire fortune on us,” Kim replied. 

“I still can’t believe you’re involved in a polygamous relationship. I know you’re adventurous, but I didn’t think it went that far.”

Kim chuckled. “It wasn’t like I went seeking it out. It just happened.”

Nana Possible smiled and shrugged. “That’s how love is.”

The redhead nodded a little, not wanting to risk her hair falling out of the up-do that she had, and guessed that had to be true. Her hair was done with a string of pearls, matching the color of her dress. Her dress had a single shoulder strap and very light pink design of lines running along the bodice and gown.

“This is pretty dress. Tell that savage Go to take it easy on it during the wedding night,” her grandmother remarked.

“Nana!” Kim gasped and her grandmother just laughed. 

Kim was happy with how well her grandmother seemed over her pending nuptials. She feared her grandmother might be too accepting, though, because she had been cracking jokes about the relationship earlier. Her grandmother would probably get along better with Shego’s relatives than her own during the ceremony and reception. Still, Kim would take that over the continuing uphill battle she had with her father. While he was better now, he still had a long way to go.

“Do you need something new, borrowed, or blue?” Ann asked, sniffling and dabbing tears from her eyes. Apparently, Nana’s inappropriate jokes would not break through Ann’s emotional wall right now. 

“No, we decided not to do that. We figured since we’re not traditional, we wouldn’t follow any of the traditions,” Kim answered. It had been a theme it sorts for them, but she guessed that her mother assumed they would at least do the basics.

“So, your father isn’t going to give you away?” Nana inquired with an arched eyebrow. 

“No, he isn’t. We decided against that tradition when Shego looked like we were crazy for suggesting that Kane give her away. She was actually offended. It didn’t help that he was totally against the concept.”

Nana’s face scrunched. “Strange man. Why was he so opposed?” 

Ann smiled and jumped into explain. “Kane said that the idea of giving his daughter away was ridiculous because he wasn’t giving her away. He was keeping her because she’d always be his daughter and through this marriage, he was gaining two more. They were all gaining family, not giving it away or even joining another.”

Nana nodded. “Smart man.” The redheads laughed.

“Yes, he has his moments, but according to his wife, as well as my own experience, those moments are few and far between,” Ann remarked and then glanced at Kim. “Remind me to tell him that.”

Kim nodded and laughed more. “You guys are so mean to Kane. He’s such a sweetheart.”

Ann scoffed. “If you were in his age range, you wouldn’t say that. The man deserves all of it and more.” 

Another chuckle escaped Kim. “You’re starting to sound like Isabel.”

“Well, she was right about him,” Ann said.

Kim shook her head. She actually enjoyed the growing bond her mother shared with Shego’s parents. She hoped her dad was able to do the same now that he was trying… more so than before. He had looked forward to giving her away until the idea was nixed. He had tried to hide his disappointment, but it was rather clear. His face was not very good at hiding anything. He had involved himself with other aspects of the wedding, though, making Kim a very happy bride-to-be. 

“So, are you three walking yourselves down the aisle?” Nana asked.

Kim nodded. “Yes, we are. In a little more than fifteen minutes.” The very idea that she would soon be married to the loves of her life made her heart beat rapidly. Standing before friends and family, proclaiming her feelings for these wonderful women for all to see and hear… she could not wait. She was ready for this, ready for this and the future. She hoped that her girlfriends felt the same. 

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie felt like she was going to throw up… again. She had already lost her breakfast and from the way her stomach was rolling, she feared she would start dry heaving. She had never felt so nervous in all of her life. 

“Should I get someone to get you some medication?” Isabel offered, rubbing Bonnie’s back. It was a little soothing.

Chuckling, Bonnie shook her head, causing her delicate curls to sway. “No, I’ll be fine. I think. Were this nervous when you married Kane?” 

“Sorry, dear, but I doubt it. Had I been alert enough to be nervous, I won’t have married the simpleton.”

“But, you love him.” 

Isabel scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “I tolerate him,” she stated with the same amount of passion she would show if she was telling the weather.

Bonnie laughed again, expecting that nonchalant response. Shego was not as bad as her mother when it came to her love, anymore anyway. She supposed if they lasted as long as Kane and Isabel, almost thirty-five years, by then Shego would definitely be able to openly admit her love. 

“Do you think Shego will tolerate me and Kim just the same?” Bonnie asked.

Isabel smiled and patted Bonnie bare shoulder. Bonnie was dressed in a wedding gown strapless pearl white dress that hugged her body until it fell just below her hips, belling into a crimpled gown. Her hair was decorated with pearls, like her soon-to-be-wives were. 

“I’m certain. My little firefly loves you both so much. You’ll all be fine. Just try to give me some grandkids soon. I can’t turn sixty and not have grandkids. It’s unheard in my family,” Isabel declared quite seriously.

Another laugh escaped Bonnie. “You act like you’re going to be sixty tomorrow. If Shego wants kids, then we’ll definitely have them before she’s forty.”

“She better want kids,” Isabel growled, making a tight fist. “In fact, if she doesn’t then you better make her want to have kids, like you did with getting married.” 

“Let me enjoy being married for a while first.”

“Well, if you must,” Isabel sighed dramatically. 

Bonnie chuckled again. Isabel smiled and patted Bonnie on the shoulder again. The tanned woman smiled brightly, feeling much better now. 

“You look beautiful, Bonnie. I know we’ve gone through this before, but from this moment on my family is your family. While I would never think to replace your mother, I’ll be there for you whenever you need me. We all will.”

Bonnie smiled and had to inhale to avoid tearing up. “I know. Thank you for that.” 

Isabel laughed and waved the words off. “Don’t thank me. In fact, thank you. You could’ve ended this whole thing with just a word to Kim so long ago, but instead you allowed Shego in and somehow grew to love her as Kim did. You’re an amazing woman and you’re about marry two more amazing women. So, let’s get you out there and get you married.”

Bonnie grinned and nodded. She looked at herself once more in the mirror. She could not believe she was standing there in a wedding dress. She had dreamed of the day, first as a child and then more detail with Kim. Now with Kim and Shego, it was about to become a reality. 

“You know, this is possibly the greatest day of my life,” Bonnie stated.

Isabel smiled. “Well, it gets better. We need to get out there and vows need to be said.” 

“Monique said she’d come when everything was ready. How do I look? Is my hair still all right?”

Isabel’s smile only grew and her warm eyes glistened with actual tears. “You’re fine, sweetheart. Perfect.” 

Bonnie could breathe easy now. A knock at the door let her know it was time. Her single bridesmaid, Monique, smiled as she opened the door and her heart beat just a little faster in anticipation.

“Let’s go get you married,” Monique declared with a grin and a fist pump. 

-8-8-8-8-

The music began playing, not the traditional bridal march, but a soft piano melody accompanied by a string quartet. The music was live with the small group playing close to the wedding platform. Their families and friends were all seated and watched the three paths of black sand. 

The “bridesmaids” walked out first. Ron led Kim, Monique led Bonnie, and Joss led Shego. Cali wandered each path, not sure which of her humans she wanted to follow behind; of course, she settled on Joss. Joss had to fight Yori, literally, to be Shego’s bridesmaid and, even though Yori had won the battle, she graciously gave Joss the space because it was the kind thing to do. 

Each bride slowly strolled down the walkway, eyes forward to the platform where Doctor Director waited for them. Betty Director was dressed in an expensive, fitted black suit, paid for by Kane. The trio stood before her and she actually smiled at them.

“I hope this turns out how you want it to, Kim,” Betty said in a low voice. 

“It will,” Kim promised with her usual confidence.

Betty shrugged. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she addressed the crowd in a loud, commanding tone. “We have gathered here to bear witness to the union of these three… exceptional women, Kim Possible, Bonnie Rockwaller, and Sheshona Go. They have loved and struggled with each other for years now and have bonded not only their lives, but also their families. They have managed something that most couples have trouble with and they are intent on building on that. So, today in front of me and all of you, they will pledge their endless love, commitment, and continued support of each other. I believe each bride would like to say their own vows.” All three ladies nodded as they turned to face each other. 

Shego took a deep breath. “Kim, you were my princess before I even realized it. You changed my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe from the moment I met you. I didn’t realize it then, but you’d become the best thing to ever kick me in the face.” She smiled and Kim laughed. “Oddly enough, that wasn’t the hardest place you hit. You got in my head and in my heart and I never want you to leave. You’ve stood by me on my darkest day and made the sun come out, even when you really shouldn’t have, even when I was being stubborn or stupid or just spiteful. The day you took me home… I’m surprised I didn’t hear angels singing because I got to meet the second love of my life and feel another warm light shine on me.” Emerald eyes focused on Bonnie. “And, I merely mean second in the timeline because you are equal in my heart, Duchess. Also, an equal pain in my ass.” This was said with affection and earned a smile from Bonnie. “You’re just as much a mystery to me as Kimmie is as far as my affection for you. I don’t know when the annoyance turned into love and it doesn’t really matter because I love you both with every ounce of my being. I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you just how deeply that love runs and how wonderful and special you two truly are. I will spend all my day protecting you and keeping you safe. I will take on you miseries and bring you through your pain. Just as you brought light into my life, I will do my best to shine mine in yours. I will do my best to bring you joy and celebrate your victories with every bit of energy I can muster. I will be there for both of you through everything. I will love you always.” They all smiled and a tear rolled down Bonnie’s cheek. Shego reached out and gently wiped it away with her thumb.

Kim took a deep breath and let out a shaky laugh. “I hope I don’t forget what I want to say after that,” she said, her voice trembling a bit. She had to take another breath. “Okay, Shego, Bonnie, I never would’ve thought I’d be lucky enough to have two beautiful, phenomenal women fall in love with me, even though I can do anything, including falling in love twice. You’re both the world to me, more than the world really. I can do anything for both of you. I _would_ do anything for both of you. You were my legs when I couldn’t walk, my hands when I couldn’t touch, and my hearts when all I could feel was pain and anguish. You pull me out of the dirt when I’m down and lift me even higher when I already stand tall. You are the air that I breathe, the blood in my veins, and the passion that sparks me into action.”

Kim reached out and took the hands of both of her lovers. They were quivering, which was fine because she was, too. They both had to take a breath while Kim smiled at them and continued. 

“I vow to do everything in my power to keep you happy, content, and joyous. I will always be there for you, through any and everything in life. I will cherish you now and for all eternity,” Kim announced. More tears came from Bonnie and Shego’s mouth trembled. “I will always love both of you.”

Bonnie had to carefully wipe her face, not wanting to mess up her makeup. “I must look a mess,” she sniffled. 

“You’re beautiful, Duchess,” Shego whispered.

“As always,” Kim added.

Bonnie laughed a bit and gave them a tearful smile. “You two have to say that and I have to say this. When I was younger, I had always imagined some Prince Charming would rescue me from my household and whisk me away to a better life in a grand castle and spoil me rotten… more rotten than I was anyway. I was surprised when said prince ended up being a princess, especially Kim Possible. I had always been so horrible to you, but you were able to look beyond that because you’re so… well, you. You’re just so wonderful. Marvelous really. You were able to be my friend and then beyond. You brought out so much good in me, pushed me to follow my dreams, and just stood by me to make sure I knew that things would get better. I doubted I could possibly love someone as much as I love you. I love you so much that even when it hurt, when I knew you loved someone else, I was able to accept it as long as I still had part of you. And then, suddenly, she was in my life as well as yours, in my house, in my space, and slowly in my heart. Of course, she was also on my nerves.”

Shego smiled at that. A couple of people laughed. They probably had first hand experience in how challenging Shego could be.

Bonnie smiled and pressed on. “But, I finally understood how you felt, Kimmie. My heart had not split down the middle or given her a bigger or smaller piece. My heart merely housed another with you and continues to do so, and will do so until the end of time as far as I am concern. I will be here through all the strange things you both get us involved in, as well as any normal matters. I will be there to share and celebrate with you all of your achievements. I will be there to hold and embrace you whenever you need it. I will stand through sickness, health, and arrests that I know are sure to come. I will always be here for both you. I will love you with everything inside of me until the end of time. You’re my world, my family, my loves.” 

“Always,” Shego and Kim promised. They all turned their attention back to Doctor Director.

“The rings,” Doctor Director announced. 

Monique handed the ring to Bonnie, Joss handed hers to Shego, and Ron handed the last one to Kim. The original plan had been to include Cali in ceremony by allowing her to carry the rings, but she seemed to think they were toys. It did not help that she had almost eaten one. The brides face each other.

“Place the rings on your fingers and say ‘with this ring, I thee wed,” Doctor Director instructed them.

While repeating the words, Kim put her ring on Shego’s finger, Shego put hers on Bonnie’s finger, and Bonnie placed hers on Kim’s finger. They had considered two rings again, but since Bonnie planned to wear all of them on her finger, they decided not to weigh her left hand down. So, they all had one identical wedding band made of white gold with an emerald, ruby, and a blue diamond.

“You may kiss the brides,” Doctor Director announced.

They leaned in for a rather chaste kiss between all three of them; they would save the extreme affection for the honeymoon. Their family and friends cheered. They smiled as they turned to face everyone, holding up their left hands to show off their rings. Shego was surprised to see her mother actually crying. Kim was not surprised to see her mother crying. 

“Let’s go celebrate,” Bonnie announced. There were cheers all around for that. 

-8-8-8-8-

On the way to the reception, which was only a few yards from the wedding, Kim and Shego noticed an odd thing. Their grandmothers were watching each other, as if waiting for the other to make a move. Kim and Shego glanced at each other.

“Do you think they know each other?” Kim asked. 

“Probably, but I hope they’re not old enemies or can at least wait until we leave before they try to kill each other,” Shego remarked.

“They wouldn’t ruin our wedding if they are enemies,” Bonnie argued. Her wives did not dispute that, but they hoped their faith was not misplaced. 

Their grandmothers thankfully took their seats without starting any trouble. The brides sat at the front of the room on a high platform with their backs to the wall. Their chairs almost resembled thrones, but they were completely white. They had to sit through almost a dozen speeches.

“People are going to be drunk from toasting at this rate,” Shego remarked as they raised their glasses again. Her wives laughed and did the same. 

When the speeches were done, the trio shared a spotlight dance and then the party began. Kim and Shego found themselves curious because their grandmothers were sitting together. They could not help joining the pair, who looked at the newlyweds. 

“Excuse me, Nana, but you know Shego’s grandmother?” Kim inquired.

“I used to kick Gwen’s ass on the daily basis when she trained with Shaolin monks,” Isabella answered, giving Kim’s grandmother a teasing smile. 

There was a scoff. “Still delusional, Izzie.”

Isabella growled. “Don’t call me that. You’re not too old to get your ass kicked right now.” 

“Aren’t you too old to do it? What are you, ninety now?” Nana smirked at Isabella.

“I was wondering the same about you.”

Kim and Shego left their grandmothers to banter, hoping it would stay that way, and went to find their other wife. Bonnie was cornered by Isabel, who was hugging the lawyer as if it was the only thing she could do. Shego stepped over with the intent of saving Bonnie from her clearly emotional mother, but only offered Isabel more targets. Isabel threw her arms around them and then Ann came from nowhere, almost as if it were a trap. The brain surgeon joined the group hug. 

“This is creepy,” Shego muttered, wondering if there was a way to break free without hurting anyone. She doubted it.

“I like it,” Bonnie admitted, which was not a surprise.

The Moms pulled back and smiled at that. Bonnie smiled right back at them and Kim did the same. Shego grimaced slightly, wondering what new, completely out of character thing her mother would do. She was going to be very happy when she and her mother could finally go back to normal.

“You don’t know how happy we are with you three,” Isabel said.

“No, Mommy, the creepy group hug says a lot more than you think,” Shego assured her. 

Isabel chuckled. “I’m just so happy. Now, I want to be clear that I consider you my daughters now,” she told Kim and Bonnie. 

“Same here.” Ann told Bonnie and Shego. Both statements were unnecessary because they all knew where they stood with the Moms, with their fathers, too.

“Please, I want you both to know, I’d be honored if you called me Mommy, like my other kids,” Isabel said. 

“And I’ll be Mom,” Ann said with a grin.

Bonnie practically bounced, overjoyed with the proposal. Kim smiled and nodded. Shego sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Fine, _Mom_ ,” the eldest of the trio gave in. It was not a battle she could win, after all.

“Great,” Ann chirped.

“You were supposed to be the normal one, Mom,” Shego remarked. Ann chuckled and stuck her tongue out at Shego. The former villain smiled.

Shego was happy that Ann was so accepting of her because she knew she still had a long way to go with James. He had been good while they were planning the wedding, but he had not really paid much attention to Shego. If he had to address one of them, he would go to Kim or Bonnie. She wondered if she should talk to him. She was not sure what she should say to him, _if_ she should say anything to him. Maybe she needed to wait for him to come to her.

Waiting turned out to be the better idea because James approached Shego as soon as she was alone. He merely stood next to her for a few long seconds. She hoped he was not purposely trying to make her uncomfortable, not that it worked. She glanced at him and resisted the urge inch away. Okay, maybe it worked a little.

“It was a beautiful ceremony and this reception is something else,” James commented. The scenery alone was glorious, but the food, service, and the fact that everyone was enjoying themselves made things seem beyond description.

Shego nodded. “Well, my dad paid for most of it. We all planned it out with help from the Moms. But, thanks for saying so.”

“I know you and I don’t have much of a relationship, but I’d like to work to change that. Kim and Bonnie seem to have a lot of faith in you and I have a high opinion of their thoughts. They see something in you that I _want_ to see and believe in. I want to know they’re in good hands with you,” James admitted.

Sighing, she scratched her head. “I don’t know what more I can do, Doctor Possible. It’s been years for you to see that I’m there for them, through thick and thin. I’ll protect them with my life. I’ll do anything to make them happy and I’m sure I’ve shown that over the years, but you’ve chosen to ignore that. So, what are you going to start taking notice of things I do now?”

“No, now, I’m going to start talking to you, interacting with you. Now, I’m going to start talking to your parents, maybe even spend some time with your father considering how close Ann and Isabel are. I’m going to really try now. This isn’t lip service to you. This is a pledge to myself. So, what are your plans for the honeymoon?” 

Shego shrugged. “We’re flying to a nearby island to spend about a week just lying around and then we’re going to go to Paris. Turns out the Duchess has never been, so Kim and I figured a honeymoon would be the perfect time for her to become familiar with the city.”

He nodded. “How long will you be in Paris?” 

“Probably another week. We’re not going to be on honeymoon for more than two weeks because Kim doesn’t want to leave her students alone for long considering the fact that she’s only been back for less than a year.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I hope it all turns out well.” 

“It will. Excuse me, I need to go mingle with some of my family members before they start to feel snubbed.”

He smiled a bit, looking a little uncomfortable. “Of course.” 

Shego walked off, trying not to look like she was making an escape, even though she was. She was happy that he was going to try to talk to her more and get to know her, but she did not want to spend her reception forcing conversation with her pseudo-father-in-law. She would deal with him and see if he was serious back when they were done with their honeymoon.

“Oh, my god, Shona, I can’t believe you’re married now!” a very familiar voice squeal from behind her.

Shego turned around to see her dear, old friend Jennifer approaching. Beside Jennifer was an attractive, petite woman that Shego guessed was either a girlfriend or spouse. Turned out, she was right if the ring on the woman’s finger meant anything. Shego smiled at Jennifer.

“Hey, there Shona. Thanks for inviting me,” Jennifer grinned. “How a closet case like you snagged two gorgeous women is going to remain a great mystery to me.” She made a show of rolling her eyes. 

Shego snorted. “You’re just hating. Besides, why are you clocking what I have when you have to worry about someone?” Emerald eyes glanced the small woman next to her friend.

“Oh, sorry. Shona, meet my wife, Julie. Julie, meet my former shadow, Sheshona,” Jennifer teased. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Julie said, reaching out to shake Shego’s hand.

“Wait, did you say wife? I invited you to my wedding only to find out that you played me on yours?” Shego demanded.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Not hardly. We eloped after our mothers almost killed each other on trying to plan out the wedding. So, we decided to give them different targets, namely us, after we eloped.”

“Oh, so now you’re stuck with Jennifer, huh? I feel sorry for you,” Shego said to Julie. 

Julie chuckled. “Don’t worry. I know how to keep her in line. Let me say, it was a beautiful ceremony. I thought Jennifer was making it up when she said that you were marrying two women.”

“Nope. I somehow got two great ladies to fall for me,” Shego boasted.

“You’re very lucky. Look, I don’t want to keep you from being with your wives and I don’t want to have deal with this one teasing you on your wedding day, so feel free to escape anytime,” Julie said with a smile.

Shego grinned and turned to her friend. “She’s a keeper. Don’t blow it.”

“You, too,” Jennifer replied with her own grin.

She nodded and then scanned the crowd for her wives. Before she managed to find one of them in the large hall, Hego came out of nowhere, which was an amazing feet for someone his size. They ended up falling into some near by seats after he expressed a desire to talk to her for a moment.

“What’s on your mind, Hego?” Shego inquired. 

“Well, first I want to congratulate you on this amazing wedding. I’m happy for you,” Hego admitted.

She laughed. “I guess there _is_ a first time for everything.” 

“Well, there’s a little envy.”

“At least you can finally say it out loud,” she stated. Envy had been his biggest sin as far as she could tell and it dragged both of them down dark paths. 

He gave a little shrug. “I always thought that by now, I’d be married and have kids. I mean, I feel over-the-hill for it compared to everyone else in our family. I mean, by my age, Mommy and Daddy had all of us.” 

“Yeah, and we drove them crazy. You do things at your own pace. That’s how you’ve always lived life. That’s how they taught us to live life,” Shego pointed out. They were never on anyone’s schedule. They did their own thing all the time.

“I guess you’re right. Still, I’m really happy for you, Shona. I mean that,” he stated.

“Thanks, Hadrian.” They both smiled at each other. She doubted she had felt so good after speaking to her brother in over twenty years. She was not the only happy talking to a brother.

-8-8-8-8- 

Johnnie hugged Bonnie tightly and as soon as he let her go, Brick hugged her. She groaned in Brick’s embrace because he was still as big as always. She laughed to herself, thinking about to high school when they used to hug often and he never held her as tightly then as he did now.

“I can’t believe you’re married now,” Brick said. 

“I can’t believe you won’t make an honest man out of my brother. You’ve been together longer than I have with Shego,” Bonnie stated with a teasing smile.

Brick waved her off. “He won’t accept a ring.” 

“I’ve seen what married life does to relationships. I’m not interested in that. I hope things work out for you, Bonnie. You guys are probably already settling into the lesbian death bed anyway, so it should be fine,” Johnnie playfully remarked.

Bonnie scoffed. “I don’t think Kim and Shego know there is a lesbian death bed.”

“Too much information, sis,” Johnnie laughed.

“You brought it up!” she pointed out.

“That was very foolish of me,” Johnnie admitted, putting his hands up in surrender.

Bonnie laughed and spoke with her brother for a while before they somehow drifted apart. She hoped she ended up near him again because she wanted to talk to him. They were doing so much better now, taking time out of their schedules to have lunch once a week, speaking on the phone just as often, and she wanted to continue building on that. She went about mingling, though, since it was the proper thing to do.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego saw a chance to make herself useful by saving Bonnie from Heather, who seemed to have the lawyer cornered. She was not worried about Heather hitting on Bonnie now. Heather was happy involved with Shego’s cousin, Francesca, according to Francesca anyway. Still, Bonnie looked like she was trying to ease away from Heather and the actress did not seem to want that to happen.

“Duchess, there you are. The Princess was looking for you to dance with her,” Shego said as she put her arm around Bonnie’s waist.

Bonnie grinned. “Oh, well, it is her wedding, so I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.” She then turned to Heather and put on the most transparent pout that Shego had ever seen in her life. “I’m sorry, but I need to go dance with Kim. Wife and all you now,” Bonnie said and then allowed Shego to lead her away.

“I’m guessing that was the right thing to do,” Shego commented with a smile.

“God, yes! I didn’t expect her to be here. Did you tell Francesca it was all right to bring her?”

“Francesca didn’t ask because the invite did say ‘plus one.’ That’s her girlfriend, so you figure that’s going to be her ‘plus one.’ Was she bothering you?” Shego glanced back at Heather and then focused on her new bride again.

Bonnie sighed and shook her head. “Not really. She’s just annoying now. She just went on and on about her relationship with Francesca. I get it that they’re happy, but she just wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t even get a word in. Now, I really do want to have a dance with my wife. Where is she?”

“Uh… right here,” Shego said with a grin.

Bonnie laughed. “The one who will dance with me without making it seem like some great burden and I owe her all the world for deigning to stand up with me.”

A light chuckle escaped Shego. “Oh, that one.”

Shego glanced around and spotted Kim, huddled up with her oldest and closest friends. They were all smiling and patting Kim on the back. Shego led Bonnie over and the congratulations were extended to the other two brides.

“You three sure know how to throw together a wedding and reception,” Monique commented.

“We had help from our moms, but thanks,” Kim said.

“What about help from me?” Kane wailed as he came over, grabbing all of the brides into a bear hug. They all groaned as he squeezed them with his powerful muscles. 

“Daddy, stop,” Shego strained, trying to pull away from him.

“No, I love you ladies so much! You’re my girls!” Kane declared.

Bonnie laughed. “So, we can call you ‘Dad’?” 

Kane grinned. “Brilliant! But, my kids call me ‘Daddy.’ I know it might seem creepy to you and Kim, but just throwing it out there. I already know that Isabel told you to call her ‘Mommy.’ We can match, if you’re okay with that.”

Bonnie actually kissed Kane on the forehead. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Oh, my god!” Kane squealed like a delighted child and held them tighter. 

The brides all laughed, but it was nice to know they were all so accepted by each other’s families. Bonnie was especially taken with it since she never really had a loving family before. She squeezed Kim and Shego when they were on their own again.

“What is it, baby?” Kim asked curiously.

“I’m thankful to you both. You’ve given me more love than I thought possible and you’ve given me this great family. I don’t think you’ll ever know how much I appreciate that,” Bonnie explained. 

Shego snorted. “You thank us now, but wait until my parents are getting on your nerves. You’ll learn.”

Bonnie scoffed, but she did not argue with her wife. They mingled for a little while longer before deciding to get the cake-cutting out of the way. Once the cake was cut, the brides decided that it was time to depart. Cali remained behind; Joss volunteered to watch her. They figured they would be lucky if Cali came back to them when they returned. 

-8-8-8-8-

The trio was completely alone on a private beach. Bonnie and Shego sunned themselves while Kim frolicked in the sparkling sapphire water. They were all completely nude, having spent much more out of clothes than they had in them for the past few days. It was amazing.

“Do we really have to leave here? Can’t we just live here?” Bonnie wondered aloud with a content purr.

“We still have to get you to Paris, but if you’re serious, we can start seriously redesigning the bungalow,” Shego replied. The “bungalow” as she called was a one-story beach house as far as her spouses were concerned.

Bonnie seemed to think on it, but as Kim emerged from the water, she lost her train of thought. Kim had a golden tan that somehow made her muscles more defined and Bonnie had spent a lot of time tracing the cuts with her tongue and fingertips. She refrained from doing just that as Kim collapsed onto of Shego, who did not tan no matter how much she sunbathed, but that did not stop her from lying in the sun all day with Bonnie. 

“Swam yourself out?” Shego chuckled as Kim tucked herself against the older woman. 

Kim made a noise, but did not say anything. Her wives chuckled and smiled tenderly. Bonnie reached out and caressed Kim’s back.

“Do I look this cute collapsed against the two of you?” Bonnie asked with a smile. Sometimes, she wished she was as strong as they were, so she could see how it felt to be on the receiving end of this.

“Oh, god, when you and Kimmie cuddle on the couch…” Shego only groaned and shudder at the thought. 

Bonnie laughed. “I wish I could have one of you collapse on me.”

“Kim’s solid muscle,” Shego cautioned Bonnie, in case the lawyer got any ideas. Kim looked like she was the smallest out of them, but she was dense. 

Bonnie chuckled. “Oh, believe me, I know.” 

Silence settled between them and they just enjoyed their time together. Kim cuddled into Shego while Bonnie stroked Kim’s back. Shego put an arm around Bonnie, pulling her a little closer. They all would have liked to stay like that, but as the sun was setting they knew they would have to get up. Just as the sun had to set, eventually they would have to return home and they were fine with that.

They were fine with their lives, with their friends, and with their family. They expected things to remain that way. Sure, there would be bumps in the road, but they were certain that they would get through those. They had made vows and they would take those just as serious as any legally married couple. They were there 'til death do part.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Bonnie has a birthday party.


	12. Engineering 211 — How to Build on a Solid Foundation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. Well, I do own Cali, Isabel, and Kane.
> 
> A/N: Part of this chapter is brought to you by an idea from List of Romantics. And this chapter has some M-rated stuff at the end. Thanks for the idea.

12: Engineering 211 — How to Build on a Solid Foundation

The honeymoon was over. Paris had been brilliant, as expected. Bonnie was surprised Shego almost got lost in the Louvre. She was like a kid in a candy store and a professor in an art history course at the same time. They had to drag Shego to other sights beyond art museums. Kim shocked her wives by knowing plenty about the nightlife, but as it turned out, she had done research, which they preferred to the idea of Kim spending long nights in Paris when she was single. Bonnie had enjoyed just following her wives’ lead. Kim proposed they make the trip at least once a year, even if it was not for their anniversary. Paris would become their city. The idea made her wives smile. 

“It feels good to be home,” Kim sighed as they stepped into the apartment.

“Yeah, it does, but we’ll see Paris again,” Shego said as she put down her bags as well as Bonnie’s luggage. Kim carried her own bags.

“Until then, it does feel nice to be home. Although, I wouldn’t be opposed to us having a beach in the backyard,” Bonnie remarked.

“Duchess, if I could, I’d grant you that request in a heartbeat,” Shego promised.

“What do you two even need a beach for? You never go in the water and you already sunbathe on the roof,” Kim pointed out, strolling into the living room. Her wives followed her into the room to find it loaded with gifts.

“I happen to like watching you come out of the water if you must know,” Bonnie answered before taking in the stack of wrapped boxes in the living room.

“That is an awesome sight,” Shego agreed.

They were not surprised to find the pile of presents there. The Moms had promised to get all of the wedding gifts to their place for them to open when they got back from their honeymoon. They were surprised when Cali tumbled out of a small cave-like area made by the wrapped boxes.

“Cali, what are you doing here? We’re supposed to pick you up tomorrow,” Kim said as she picked the feline up. Cali purred and rubbed her head under Kim’s chin.

Bonnie grinned and reached over to scratch Cali under her chin. Cali purred even louder. The little family sat down on the couch and Cali walked across all three of them, rubbing up against them. They each caressed her and petted her to her heart’s content until she rolled over into the floor, too wrapped up in the attention to realize what she was doing. Shego snickered while Cali shook her head, trying to clear away the stars that she was seeing.

“Cali, you have to be more careful,” Kim said and she reached down to pick the cat up, but Cali rolled away. She transformed into her humanoid form and grinned at them all.

“You must want to tell us how you loved being with Joss,” Bonnie commented with a smile.

Cali nodded eagerly. “Yeah! It was great! She gave me lots of fish and cream and she let me go outside with her! She told me about a lot of the stuff outside and I did a lot of hunting. But, I was sad!” She suddenly pouted.

“Why were you sad if you were in what you just described as your version of paradise?” Shego teased, reaching out to playfully push Cali’s head.

“I missed you guys! I wanted to be with you, but Joss said you had to be alone, but I wanted to be with you!” Cali practically howled.

Kim chuckled. It would seem they were off on Cali just wanting to live with Joss. They thought it would take a lot of persuasion for Cali to come home. “Of course. Well, we’re all together now. So, you don’t have to be sad anymore.”

Cali grinned. “I know. Plus, Joss brought me home right after you called her and said you were coming back. I like Joss, but I like home more. Joss is one of my humans.”

The trio all laughed. They did not know what to say to that. They knew Cali had a thought pattern completely different to their own, so they just accepted it. She smiled and changed back into the form she preferred, letting them know they would not be hearing anymore about her adventures for now. Eventually, Cali would have to share everything that happened, though, because she was too excited about her stay.

“How about we open our wedding gifts?” Bonnie suggested, eyeing some of the bigger boxes already.

“You just like getting presents,” Shego pointed out.

Bonnie scoffed. “Yeah, who doesn’t?”

“You both know you want to tear into everything, so we might as well get to it,” Kim stated.

“Don’t act like you’re not curious, Princess,” Shego said, giving the redhead a light shove.

Kim smiled like a little cherub, even though her wives knew she was just as eager to open their gifts. Shego grabbed the box closest to her and they huddled close to open it. Just as Bonnie was about to rip it open, Kim stopped them.

“Wait, we should make a list, so we know who to send thank you cards to,” the hero pointed out.

Shego scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course, you little goody-goody.”

Kim only flashed her a smile and quickly retrieved a pen and pad. She settled back on the sofa and made a note of who gave them the gift. Once she put down the pad, they all tore into the gift. When the wrapping paper was all gone, they saw that they had received a top of the line juicer. It was something they had always talked about getting, but never did.

“We can finally start juicing,” Kim grinned.

Shego laughed. “Let’s see how long that lasts. We don’t even make coffee anymore because we’re always so busy.”

“We’ll keep up with this one,” Bonnie promised. “I’ll see to it.” She had been the one that tried to keep the coffee maker useful. She figured she would do better with the juicer because Kim would be able to use it. Kim was too hyper for them to trust with coffee. Hell, Kim could not even have sugar after a certain time.

Shego only shrugged and they went through more gifts. Cali busied herself by rolling around and jumping about in the wrapping paper. Most of the presents were things for around their home, but a few gifts were for more intimate matters. Shego and Bonnie laughed when Kim blushed at each one.

“Is it appropriate to send thank you cards for those things?” the redhead wondered aloud. Her eyes were wide, like she had never seen toys before. 

Shego snickered. “Francesca would love one, I’m sure.”

“Monique will just keep asking if we used it in front of people that have no idea what she’s talking about,” Bonnie predicted.

“Well, we need to make sure you both can shock her and answer in the affirmative,” the former thief grinned devilishly. Her wives looked at her and she just smiled wider. 

Kim sighed and shook her head. “I wonder what they would’ve done if we opened gifts at the wedding.”

“They probably would’ve warned us,” Bonnie said, or so she hoped. She did not want to imagine opening a box with sex toys in front of her new family. 

“Francesca wouldn’t have,” Shego assured them.

Her wives did not argue that because they could see one of Shego’s relatives being that devilish. They finished with the gifts, except one that sat in the corner. Shego got up and fetched that one. Kim and Bonnie did not question her, even though that was odd. She carried it carefully, supporting both bottom corners of the large, flat package. She eased it onto their laps. 

“Who’s this from?” Kim asked as she inspected the present. There were no tags or anything on it.

“I’ll tell you after you open it,” Shego answered.

“You’re not going to open it with us?” Bonnie inquired. 

“Nope, this one is just for you two,” the pale woman stated.

Kim and Bonnie glanced at each other, but they did not say anything. Gently, they tore at the paper, just enough to separate it from the present. Bonnie’s forehead creased while Kim arched an eyebrow as they revealed part of an elaborate frame, but an even more impressive portrait. It was a pencil drawing with great detail of the three of them; Kim was in the middle and holding Cali in her feline form. The pair turned to Shego, awe in their eyes. 

“What is this?” Kim asked, her voice low and shocked.

Shego smiled. “Us.”

“It’s beautiful,” Bonnie whispered.

“Very,” Kim added.

Shego preened, sitting up straighter and grinning in a manner so brightly that it put the sun to shame. “You like it?”

“It’s amazing,” Kim said.

“Beautiful,” Bonnie repeated.

“Wait, Shego, who did this?” the redhead inquired, lightly running her hand over the picture.

“I drew it and Daddy bought the frame for it,” Shego explained, shrugging like this was nothing. Of course, on the inside, she was abuzz with delight that her wives liked her work. 

“Oh, my god, love, you’re an artist! A wonderful artist!” Bonnie cheered, reaching over the drawing to just touch Shego. She did not want to chance damaging the portrait by doing more.

“This is why your mother says you like art. You’re incredible,” Kim said, eyes glued to the drawing. “Now, the Louvre and the art museums make so much sense!” 

Shego smiled, but before she could say anything, Cali jumped up on the couch, obviously wanting to see what all of the commotion was about. She padded around on Shego’s lap briefly before moving to see what Kim and Bonnie held. Even she let out a shocked mew before running her paw along the glass protecting the piece.

“Oh, my god, we have to hang this up now,” Bonnie declared, scanning the room for a place on the wall. 

“Yes, somewhere everyone will be able to see it,” Kim stated, also searching the walls for a spot. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you draw, love?” Bonnie inquired.

Shego shrugged. “It’s never come up really and I hadn’t done it for years until that picture. I mean, I’ve done some minor sketching, but nothing serious like this. You two… you inspire me,” she breathed out the words and a tender smile spread across her face.

“So, you’ll be doing this more often?” Bonnie asked curiously. 

“I’d like to. I feel like I’m in a good place and can do this. I want to fill a book with your faces,” Shego answered with a soft smile. 

“Then we’ll get you books and supplies. We can make a studio for you by Bonnie’s office space,” Kim proposed. They had a lot of open space in the apartment because it was a whole floor of the building. 

“I think I’d like that,” Shego admitted. “I miss drawing and I’m damned good at it.” The confident statement earned laughs from her spouses. 

“You are that,” the lawyer concurred.

“Now, if only you were modest,” Kim teased. 

Shego scoffed. “You wouldn’t like me modest. But, I’ll try to be very modest when we use those toys. In fact, we should try that right now.”

The younger pair laughed and shook their heads. They were not in the mood for that yet. In fact, they really wanted to eat and lounge around their home for a while. Despite how incredible Paris was and their island paradise before that, they had missed the place. There would be time later to play with the toys. Actually, considering the fact that Bonnie’s birthday was coming up soon, they were all certain they would get to play around. 

-8-8-8-8- 

“Mommy wants to throw a huge party for Bonnie’s birthday,” Shego reported as she and Kim sparred during their first break.

“Bonnie would probably love that. She’s never really gotten to do a birthday up big,” Kim replied, ducking several punches.

“No? She seems like the type who would’ve had some amazing sweet sixteen that she wouldn’t have invited you to,” Shego remarked as she came at Kim a little harder.

Chuckling, Kim bobbed and weaved through Shego’s attack. “I’m sure she would’ve loved that, but with six kids and she’s the baby, you know damn well she didn’t have a sweet sixteen.”

“That’s true.”

“So, she’ll enjoy the hell out of this. I wish this was actually a milestone birthday for her. That would’ve made it sweeter.”

“I figured as much, too. Mommy’s not going to wait for Bonnie to turn thirty, though, to throw her some extravagant, grand ball. She just wanted to tell us because she’s going to do it and Daddy will back her up.” Shego blocked a kick to her head.

Kim grunted as her foot collided with Shego’s forearm. “But, we can help, right?”

Shego pushed Kim away, but had to block several more strikes. “I think she wants the parents to do this one to show Bonnie that they’re her family. She said we always get to do stuff with Bonnie and we’ve had her for her last couple of birthdays. Now, it’s their turn.”

Kim snickered while continuing her attack. “They have a point there. I think Bonnie would love that, though. They could make it like royal ball and she could be the queen.”

“Dear god, we have to tell Mommy that. The Duchess would freaking love that!”

Sparring was forgotten in favor of the phone. They called Isabel and gave her their idea as well as their approval. After they hung up, the pair looked at each other.

“So, what are you getting Bonnie for her birthday?” Kim inquired.

Shego scoffed. “I’m not telling you, so you can steal my idea!”

“What?” The hero scrunched up her face and eyed her wife as if she were out of her mind.

Shego pointed an accusing finger at Kim. “You totally stole my idea last year!”

“What? Are you nuts? You didn’t even know she likes that!”

Emerald eyes went wide. “What? Don’t act like that was a secret. You stole my idea. Admit it.”

Kim let loose a loud, long scoff. “You’re just upset that Bonnie preferred my gift. Don’t be mad. That’s my baby,” she boasted with a grin.

“To hell with that! She’s my Duchess and I can give her a much better birthday gift than you!”

There was another scoff and olive eyes rolled. “Now, you’re just batty! I can definitely get a better gift than you, just as I have the past few years. Stop being crazy.”

Shego stared down at Kim. “Sounds like you’re challenging me to something here, Princess.”

Kim stared right back. “More like you’re challenging me. I can and will get Bonnie a better birthday gift than you as long as you don’t do something outlandish like buy her Central Park.”

“I don’t need to buy her Central Park. I could draw her as my duchess and win this hands down.”

“I could scrapbook her moments as my baby and shut you down.”

Shego growled and glared down at the redhead. Kim glared right back. Shego then smirked. Kim knew something was up, but she glared more.

“All right, fine. We’ll see who can get Bonnie the better gift. We’ll let her judge and you can state the budget. How’s that?” Shego proposed.

“Spanking.” How Kim could say that so seriously was a mystery to Shego, but now it was _on_.

-8-8-8-8- 

Bonnie laughed as her wives explained their rather silly wager to her. She agreed to judge for them because she knew how competitive they were. Of course, she liked the attention, too. She thought it was cute they were having a contest in regards to her birthday gift.

“You two have to promise this won’t get out of hand, though. The moment I think you’re taking this too far, I’m shutting it down,” Bonnie warned her spouses. While she liked the attention, she preferred having her wives on speaking terms. 

“It won’t,” Kim promised.

“Completely friendly wager,” Shego added.

Bonnie appeared skeptical. Kim did not know what a “friendly wager” was and Shego was almost just as clueless. She did not point that out because she figured it would be useless and could start an argument. She was not in the mood. For now, she would let them play their game and just step in the moment they started… well, acting like themselves.

“So, what’re we doing about dinner?” Bonnie asked, changing the subject.

“Order out,” her spouses answered. 

Bonnie chuckled and just accepted that. She hoped they did not end up getting her the same gift. Cali wandered over to her while Kim and Shego went to handle dinner. Cali sat by Bonnie and transformed.

“Can I get you something for your birthday, too?” the cat-girl requested.

“As long as it’s not a dead animal, yeah,” Bonnie answered with a smile. She gave Cali an encouraging head rub.

Cali squinted, thinking on it. “I can’t think of anything.”

Bonnie chuckled. “It’s fine.”

“How come I don’t have a birthday?” Cali asked. There was no sorrow in her tone or face, just plain curiosity. She had been with them long enough to see a few birthdays and hear about more.

“You do have a birthday. You’re here, so you were born,” Kim pointed out as she walked back into the living room.

Cali nodded. “So, I can have a birthday?”

“You do have one. We just don’t know what day it is, but it sounds like you want to celebrate your birthday,” Bonnie replied.

Cali shrugged. They were not surprised she had no idea what she really wanted. Kim scratched Cali’s ear.

“We can celebrate your birthday, but first we need to celebrate Bonnie’s birthday, okay?” Kim said.

Cali nodded. “Can I have takeout, too?” The trio laughed at the abrupt change of subject.

“What’s wrong with your food, aside from the fact that it’s gone?” Shego teased. They continued to feed Cali cat food most of the time because she ate it and it seemed to agree with her. Ann gave Cali checkups and determined whatever diet they had her on was fine, but then she conceded she was not a vet and even when Cali was in her humanoid form, she was not human. Wade continued to study scans of Cali, so he was of some help in that area, but he liked to point out that he was not a doctor and also most areas of science that he was an expert in had little to do with biology.

“It doesn’t have soy sauce,” Cali answered as if it was obvious and her humans burst out laughing.

“No clue about birthdays, but loves soy sauce. We are doing something wrong,” Bonnie commented.

“Probably feeding her takeout,” Kim replied. Typically, they did let Cali eat what they had for dinner if she wanted some. Clearly, they were going to have to rethink that type of pet care. Of course, even if they did, the second Cali started begging for table scraps, all the rethinking would go out the window.

Talks of birthdays and soy sauce were forgotten as Cali went back to her proper form. Kim and Shego looked at each other, silently reaffirming their wager. When the food arrived, they let it go.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego frowned as she paced the living room. She was the only one home and she was trying to figure out what to get Bonnie for her birthday. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone going off. Grabbing the phone, she frowned when she saw the number, but answered it nonetheless.

“Yes, Mommy?” Shego sighed.

“I want the party to be a surprise for Bonnie. Do you think you and Kim can get a dress for her?” Isabel asked.

“And how the hell are we going to get her in a princess dress without her suspecting something?”

“It’s called lying, Firefly. I imagine you’re familiar with the concept and halfway decent at the practice.”

“You want me to lie to my wife? Great example, Mommy,” Shego deadpanned.

“I’m asking you to lie to get her to a surprise party, not lure her into a deadly trap. Now, you told me that she’d love this. Can you be a little helpful before I call Kim?”

“What lie could I possibly tell to get Bonnie into a princess dress that she didn’t pick for herself?”

“Do I have to think of everything? Thank god I now have two other daughters now because you are seriously useless,” Isabel declared.

Shego sucked her teeth. “To hell with you, Mommy. God, we’ll all go get dresses and act like it’s for some shit for Daddy’s family. Happy?”

“Yes, thank you.” She was so clearly smiling that Shego just wanted to hang up. She stayed on the line, though.

“Have you gotten Bonnie a gift yet?” Shego asked curiously.

“Diamond earrings to go with whatever dress you get her.”

“What did Daddy get her?”

“I don’t know. He’s running himself ragged with the party. I might have to remind him to get one.”

Shego sighed. “Are just you two planning this whole thing? You should get help.”

“I have it. Ann and James were quick to volunteer when I told them about it.”

“Oh, so, it’s an all parent thing. How’s it coming together?” Shego inquired.

“It’s beautiful, so far. I wish we could have more people here for her.”

“She’ll be thankful for family. Well, Mommy, I have to go. I’ll try to get Bonnie the dress ASAP.”

“Good luck, Firefly.”

The mother and daughter bid each other farewell. Shego sighed and went back to wondering what to get Bonnie. She was going to beat Kim and she was going to do it by any means.

“Shit, what can I get?” she huffed.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim decided to go to lunch with her mother to help clear her head. She had spent most of the day agonizing over what to get Bonnie for her birthday that would top whatever Shego got. A small part of her expected Shego to cheat and she decided to take that into consideration. Of course, if Shego just out spent her, she could not do anything about that.

“Kimmie, are you all right?” Ann asked from across the small table. Kim was basically moving food around on her plate, but she had not eaten any of it.

“Huh?” Kim shook her head to get out of her daze. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just trying to figure out what to get Bonnie for her birthday.” Finally, she popped a few fries in her mouth.

“I got her a new leather satchel. I’m not too sure if it’s an appropriate gift for a grand ball, though,” Ann commented with a smile.

“Isabel told you about the party?”

Ann waved the question off. “We’re helping her put it together. Wait until you see the cake we ordered. Bonnie is going to love it.”

Kim smiled. “I’m happy you’re all doing this. Bonnie…”

“I know, Kimmie.” Ann reached across the table and patted Kim’s forearm. “And we might not be able to replace the family that tossed her away, but we can still love her and accept her with open arms. So, what are you leaning toward getting her?”

Kim shook her head. “I have no idea. I bet Shego I could get a better gift than she could, I feel like she’s going to out spend me to win, even though we agreed to a limit.”

The doctor’s brow wrinkled a little. “Does Bonnie approve of this little contest being carried out in her honor?”

“Yes, but she said she’d shut it down the moment that things looked serious between me and Shego.”

The neurosurgeon smiled softly. “Of course. Well, knowing you and Shego, she probably doesn’t expect this contest to last the week, let alone to her birthday.”

Kim laughed. “We’re not that bad.” 

“Yes, you are. Bonnie probably agreed to appease you, knowing she’d be able to step in two days later after you both try to kill each other.

“Mom, we are not that bad.”

“Not that bad? You made a bet on who could buy your wife the best birthday gift. That doesn’t sound bad to you?”

Kim shrugged. “Seems fine to me.” 

Ann chuckled. “All right, it’s fine to you, and probably to Shego. Have you narrowed it down to what you want to get her?”

“Possibly something work related. She’s gotten more responsibilities lately since Mr. Darrow acknowledged her talent and skill. She has more cases, clients, and stuff. So, I’d like to get her something that would somehow help her with work.” 

“Good, then she’ll put my satchel to good use.”

“Mom, you’re supposed to be helping me,” Kim whined.

Ann chuckled and then smiled softly again. “I’m not sure I can help. She’s your wife, Kimmie. You know her better than I do. I’m sure if you try thinking about outside of your little contest with Shego, you’ll be able to figure it out.”

“It’s not a little contest and it’s not in the way. I can get the better gift and I will,” Kim vowed. Ann only smiled. 

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie worked through lunch because Shego and Kim were busy with their silly competition. She had tried to have lunch with Johnnie, as she had done yesterday, but he was busy today with some schoolwork he needed to get done. Maybe tomorrow, he said, and she hoped that was the case.

She wished she had seen that coming because if she had known that the contest would cost her a week of dining alone, she would have put a stop to it right after the ridiculous idea left their mouths. She hoped they finished soon since there was still a week before her birthday. She did not want to spend another week by herself or in her office when she could be spending time with her hyper competitive wives.

“No use grumbling about it,” she told herself as she shuffled through some papers for a case. She was happy to have the work, especially at the moment because it helped distract her from her spouses.

She was surprised Kim and Shego had shown some restraint while trying to outdo each other on gifts. They had both already purchased two things that they had wrapped and left in the living room as if to taunt her or maybe taunt each other, but they were still searching for something better. She thought she might just step in so that they did not bankrupt their little family, even though she knew they were not using the joint accounts for their little adventures. They did not want to admit how much of their budget they still had left and she was getting worried about their money.

“Who am I kidding? I’m just trying to find something to worry about because I need something to do with them,” she sighed. 

She had expected she would have to step in between them by now, but they had mostly stayed away from the subject. Of course, they taunted each other, but nowhere near how much she expected. Nothing had ever come close to a fight, verbal or physical. She almost thought they were playing her, making her think they had a competition when they were actually working together. 

“I need to forget this and focus on this case,” Bonnie reminded herself.

She put her attention back to her work. When the day was over, she had to pack away everything about the case. It barely fit in her brief case because she had notes from other cases packed in it. Once she forced the case shut, she went to her car and made it home quickly. She had to take a deep breath before she got out because she was not sure what to expect from her wives.

“What’s that? You got her a booger?” she heard Shego teasing before she even entered the apartment.

“Shut up. Have you cheated yet?” Kim countered.

Shego maturely blew a raspberry at Kim and Bonnie held in a snicker because she did not want to encourage either of them. Thankfully, they stopped as soon as they noticed her and moved to greet her. Kisses were exchanged and then Bonnie went to get settled. She was hardly out of the room before they started up again.

“Seriously, what’s in that little box? Toe-nail clippings? A lock of your hair? Your baby teeth?” Shego laughed.

“You’ll see. It’ll blow that weird-shaped thing you got right out of the water,” Kim declared with her chin held high.

Bonnie wondered what they were going on about. When she returned to the living room, the teasing was done. There were two new wrapped gifts, giving her six in all. She hoped that was all. She was not used to that many presents already, even after years with them. More might make her uncomfortable.

“Tomorrow we have to go dress shopping,” Shego casually informed them as the trio curled up together on the sofa.

“What? Why?” Bonnie inquired as her eyebrows bent in closer to each other.

“Daddy’s family is having a thing and he asked us to come. It’s really formal and I already told him yes,” Shego answered.

“Well, if he asked…” Bonnie conceded.

Kim laughed. “Somebody else getting an Electra Complex?”

“I don’t have an Electra Complex,” Shego growled.

“And I’m not getting one. Kane’s just a sweetheart,” Bonnie argued.

A teasing smile played on Kim’s features. “Okay, if you both say so.”

“Anyway, it’s very formal, so I made an appointment for us to get dresses, fitted, and altered tomorrow,” Shego stated. Her lovers nodded and that was that. Shego silently hoped Bonnie did not ask a plethora of questions while they were looking at the dresses. One tiny lie to get Bonnie a dress seemed fine, but a ton of them to build a story had to be bad for the marriage. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Oh, my god, these gowns are so beautiful,” Bonnie commented as they entered a large boutique. Dresses immediately greeted them to the left. To the right there were cushioned leather sofas. She wanted to just dive into the dress rack, though. 

“You can look through those, but I’m sure you’d rather see what’s in the back. Those dresses are for the riffraff,” Shego said, waving off the display.

“We have two very different ideas on riffraff,” Kim commented, looking through the rows of dresses. Shego chuckled and shook her head, but she watched her wives fondly.

“Sheshona Go, is that you?” a voice called from the back.

“Yes, are you Taylor Seams?” Shego replied. 

“Indeed I am,” a small woman declared as she stepped out. She was short and thin with brown hair that had grey on the sides. Dressed in a smart business suit, she stopped when she noticed the three women. “Which one of you is Sheshona?” 

Shego stepped forward. “That’d be me. All three of us need ball gowns. Today.”

“You’re definitely a Go. I don’t understand why you all wait until the last moment for everything, knowing how long these things take. All right, let’s try to figure what colors work best with all of you and work from there. Come along.” Taylor clapped her hands to move the ladies.

Getting the dresses turned out to be an all day affair. Bonnie seemed to love the whole experience. Kim was predictably restless after a couple of hours and they had to send her on useless errands to keep her from going stir crazy. Shego fell asleep more than once; she made a mental note to curse her mother out. No matter how much Bonnie was going to love this party, Shego was now officially annoyed. 

“I’m scared I’m going to wake up and still be in the dress shop,” Shego remarked as they managed to escape, as she looked at it. She would not be the one returning to pick up the gowns.

“I think part of me will always be in the dress shop,” Kim shuddered. 

“I guess I’ll be doing the pick up,” Bonnie said. “From now on when this happens, you have to call not it.” 

“What? But, you liked this!” Shego objected.

“Doesn’t mean I want to come out here by myself to pick the dresses,” the lawyer pointed out.

“I’ll come, but I don’t want to go in. I thought this would be like when we got our wedding dresses, but that wasn’t all in one day,” Kim said.

“Well, you two have fun with that. I’m not coming and remind me never to cut things this close again,” Shego stated.

Bonnie and Kim both shook their heads, but did not object. Shego stared at Kim with a narrowed gaze. The hero grinned. 

“You better not try to cheat on the gift,” Shego warned Kim.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” the redhead replied, purposely looking innocent. Shego only narrowed her gaze more, which made Kim grin. Bonnie sighed and shook her head.

-8-8-8-8-

Getting Bonnie to the party was rather simple since she thought they were going to a Go family affair. Of course, she paused briefly when she saw the small hall just ahead of them. They were in a limo, arriving in style at the hall. It was a nice, elegant place, but not where the Go family usually held functions.

“How is your family going to fit in here?” Bonnie asked as their limo pulled up to the front of the hall. 

Shego shrugged, doing her best not to lie. “Remember, it’s not just my family now. It’s our family.” She wanted that pressed into Bonnie’s mind. Bonnie had family now, family that loved her, and would not throw her away like those idiot Rockwallers.

“Right.” Bonnie nodded.

The limo that Shego and Kim split the price on stopped and a valet opened the door. Kim stepped out first in her golden dress. She helped Shego out. The former villain was wearing black and emerald as always. They both helped Bonnie out, showing off her royal purple gown. 

Bonnie seemed none the wiser, even as they entered the building. Shego led them through the lobby to large wooden doors to a small hall. Bonnie stopped as she noticed the room that looked like the banquet hall of a palace was filled with people, but not the whole Go family. Out of nowhere, trumpets blared, and then, they were announced.

“Lady Sheshona Go, Princess Kim Possible, and her royal majesty Queen Bonnie Possible-Go!” The hall erupted into applauds.

Bonnie blinked. “Wha-wha-wait, what’s going on?”

“Happy birthday, Duchess,” Shego said.

“No, happy birthday, your majesty,” Kim corrected the older woman.

Bonnie was speechless and her spouses had to walk her through the room to the three elaborately decorated thrones at the front of the room. They had Bonnie stand in front of the middle throne, the higher chair. Bonnie did not move as her “parents” stepped over. They each hugged her.

“Every Queen needs a crown,” Kane said before easing a tiara on Bonnie’s head.

“And earrings,” Isabel said.

“Bracelets,” Ann added. 

“And necklace,” James finished.

“No,” Bonnie whispered in a trembling voice. “It’s too much…”

“No, it’s not enough for one of the people that will give us grandchildren, but it’s a start,” Isabel commented. “Now, sit down, so we can get this royal ball stated. It’s on your signal.”

The parents moved out of the way and the trio sat down. Bonnie grinned as each of her wives took one of her hands. She looked out into the crowd, mostly family. It made her feel warm inside.

“Let’s get this party started!” Bonnie announced and there were cheers. Music started and the dance floor filled with formally dressed guests.

“May I have this dance, your majesty?” Kim requested.

“Of course,” Bonnie smiled, clearly tickled by the whole thing.

The younger pair glided through the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea for them. They sailed across the dance floor like two flowers floating on a pond. Shego smiled at the sight and then could not help herself. She had to get up and join in.

“May I cut in?” Shego asked Kim.

Kim smiled. “Of course, my lady.” She bowed to Shego and then to Bonnie. She kissed Bonnie’s hand before stepping out of the way and letting Shego dance with their wife. For much of the night, she and Shego switched off dancing with Bonnie. The simple gesture was a great gift for Bonnie.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sighed as she sat down, needing to rest her feet. She loved dancing, especially with one of her wives, but her feet did not like it in these shoes. Unfortunately, the shoes went perfectly with her gown, so they were a necessary evil. She considered she might need to get up when the Moms sat down across her, smiling much too innocently.

“So… have you three talked about children yet?” Isabel inquired as if they had been discussing just that all night.

“No, it hasn’t come up yet,” Kim answered, eyeing her mother-in-law a bit. She had never really considered children, even when it was just her and Bonnie. 

“Well, we’ve made some inquiries for when you are ready,” Ann said.

Kim’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

“We just want you to know your options when you’re ready. Nothing more than that,” her mother assured her. 

Kim nodded, but she did not know what to do with the information. Life had only recently gotten back to normal, including her going on missions. She doubted they would make any life changing decisions at the moment. She also doubted that would stop the Moms. 

The hero eased away from Isabel and Ann, making her way back to the dance floor. She danced with several people before they had to be seated for the meal. The entire party stood on ceremony until Bonnie sat on her throne and they humorously waited for a signal from her. She grinned when they all took their seats, including her wives.

“This is the best birthday party ever!” Bonnie told her spouses in a low voice. 

“Well, Duchess, you can thank the ‘rents for this, all of them,” Shego stated.

“I will. Just so you two know, if this was in the gift contest, it would’ve won hands down,” Bonnie informed them with a teasing smile. 

Shego scoffed. “My gift’s way better than this. Wait until tomorrow and see.”

“Love, you do know she’s baiting you,” Kim told Shego.

Shego fixed Bonnie with a firm glare and the birthday girl smiled impishly. The former villain rolled her eyes and decided to pay attention to the meal. Kim laughed a bit and then took Bonnie’s hand in hers. 

“You’re every bit the queen you look like right now,” Kim said softly.

“Thank you, baby.” Bonnie leaned down and gave Kim a gentle peck on the lips. The guests cheered.

“You need to do more than that to get me my grandchildren,” Isabel remarked, which got some laughter.

“Children?” Bonnie echoed.

“Mommy!” Shego scolded the older woman. “Let’s just eat!” 

“Yes, let’s do that,” Bonnie concurred and dinner was served. 

“Wait, before we eat, we’d like to make a toast,” Kane said, motioning to himself and James.

“If everyone could just raise their glasses, please,” James requested and the party did so. 

“Bonnie, you’re one amazing woman to be able to put up with our daughters and not going insane with them,” Kane remarked, earning some chuckles while the aforementioned daughters playfully glared at him.

“You make our daughters better people and allow them to do the same to you. You’ve become a light in all of our lives. We hope that continues for many years to come,” James said. 

“With grandchildren soon,” Isabel chimed in.

“To Bonnie!” Kane and James said. 

“To Bonnie!” The whole party drank to the toast.

The group had four courses before the dessert was brought out. Bonnie gasped as they wheeled the cake out. The large cake was designed to look like a fairy tale castle. There were sparklers on it, making it seem like there were fireworks going bursting around the castle.

“Oh, my god! This is too much,” Bonnie said.

“Nonsense, now it’s time to sing the birthday song,” Shego announced. 

Bonnie grimaced as the room erupted into one of the worst renditions happy birthday that she had ever heard, but still it was so beautiful. Grinning, she cut the first slice of cake and the rest was taken care of by the staff. The guests went back to partying. 

“This is great cake,” Shego commented as she devoured a large piece of cake. “Who was in charge of the cake?”

“Mom and Dad. They did a spanking job,” Kim agreed. 

“I can’t believe they did all of this for me,” Bonnie said.

“They love you, Bonnie. Just like we love you,” Kim reminded her.

“Love you for always and eternity,” Shego added.

Bonnie grinned and the trio continued to enjoy the party. By the time they left, Bonnie was nodding off. She had quite a bit to drink and could not stop giggling. Kim and Shego smiled about it. 

“Thank god her birthday is actually tomorrow because I wouldn’t be in favor of her passing out when we get home if it was really her special day,” Shego commented.

“The fact that she had a good time is good enough for me,” Kim said. 

Shego conceded that with a nod. Bonnie did not make it home awake. Shego carried her up. They both kissed her goodnight, even though she was asleep, and wished her a happy birthday since technically it was now her birthday. 

-8-8-8-8-

The smell of french toast beckoned Bonnie out of the bed. She was shocked to find Kim in the kitchen. She watched the redhead for a moment before Kim turned and smiled at her.

“Happy birthday, baby,” the hero said, leaning over for a kiss.

“Thank you. Where’s Shego?” Bonnie asked curiously.

“She agreed to help Cali find you a gift. Cali needed to go ASAP if her behavior was to be believed. They should be back in a few minutes,” Kim answered. “Now, you sit down while I finish this.” 

Bonnie nodded and did just that. “I can’t believe Shego left you to make breakfast. She’s not worried about you winning with this?”

“She thinks she might be able to win by showing you that she helped Cali pick a gift that wasn’t a dead bird for once.”

Bonnie chuckled. “I’ll be very thankful for that if it works.”

A couple of minutes passed before Shego and Cali returned. Breakfast was on the table by then and Kim winked at Shego as she pulled up a chair. Shego rolled her eyes as she sat down.

“It’s just breakfast, Princess. You didn’t do anything serious,” Shego snorted. Of course, considering the fact that Kim could barely boil water without supervision, this was actually pretty big. 

“It’s not just any breakfast, though. It’s Bonnie’s birthday breakfast,” Kim boasted. 

“Don’t fight. I want to have quiet breakfast,” Bonnie requested.

“You feel okay? You’re not hung over right?” Shego asked, reaching over to take her hand. 

“I’m totally fine. I’m always fine when I’m with you guys. Thank you already,” Bonnie answered.

“Don’t thank us until we get the presents,” Kim stated. 

“Yeah, because I’m totally winning this thing,” Shego proclaimed.

It was Kim’s turn to roll her eyes. They had a quiet breakfast and then moved to the living room for gifts because Kim and Shego could not wait. Bonnie laughed as they sat her down on the couch and offered up their three gifts.

“You’d think it was your birthdays or Christmas with the way you’re acting,” Bonnie said. 

“Open mine first,” Shego insisted, possibly not even hearing what Bonnie said.

“Fine, but then I’m opening one of Kim’s and we’ll go from there.” Bonnie reached out and caressed Cali’s head. “Your gift will be last because you’re the best.” Cali purred happily. 

Shego practically shoved her first gift into Bonnie’s hands. It turned out to be a charm bracelet that chronicled their time together. Oddly enough, Kim got Bonnie the same gift with different charms. Kim and Shego glared at each other.

“Cheater!” they both hissed, pointing at each other.

“Hey, don’t start,” Bonnie warned. 

Kim and Shego turned their noses up to each other. The rest of the gifts were opened without a word from them until Bonnie got the last one. Kim grinned. 

“This one is going to win it all for me,” Kim boasted.

Shego snorted. “I got this.” 

“What? She went through all of your gifts already,” the hero pointed out.

“Hey, loves, quiet,” Bonnie reminded them before tearing into her present. She ended up holding what looked like a Kimmunicator mixed with a tablet. 

“I asked Wade to design it especially for you since you’re finally getting more work. It’s your Bon-pad. It’s pretty much a tablet, PDA, cell phone, and any other electronic device you might need. It’ll scan all your documents and stuff like that. It’ll take dictation. It’ll do pretty much anything you need outside of argue your cases for you,” Kim explained.

“It’ll definitely make work easier and I won’t have to carry so much stuff around now,” Bonnie grinned. “Thank you both. Everything is wonderful.” 

“Wait, I have one more,” Shego said. “I need to go get it.”

“Hold on, let me open Cali’s thing before she bursts into tears,” Bonnie said because Cali was giving her the big, sorrowful eyes. 

Shego left before Bonnie even thanked Cali for her gift, which was a new pair of shoes and not a dead bird. Making it better, it was identical to a pair of shoes that Cali had chewed up and there was a sloppy apology card with it. Bonnie frowned, wondering why Shego walked out so soon. She quickly got her answer. 

“Duchess, I need you to come in here to open your present!” Shego called.

Bonnie’s face scrunched up. “What? Why?”

“Just come. Princess, you might need to help her,” Shego replied.

Bonnie and Kim looked at each other, but decided to see what their wife wanted, even though they could guess. Even with the assumption, they were not prepared for the sight that greeted them in the bedroom. Shego was sitting on top of black sheets, an extreme contrast with her naked, pale flesh. She had a black velvet bow wrapped around her breasts, stiletto heels on her feet, and an array of toys beside her. 

“What?” Kim could not believe it. “Really?”

“I win,” Shego smirked. 

Kim shook her head and laugh. “Okay, you win.” With that said, she and Bonnie shed their clothing and joined Shego in bed.

“Unwrap me, Duchess,” Shego whispered as she kissed Bonnie’s neck.

Bonnie shuddered at the thought. Her hands gently wandered Shego’s body until she got to the soft velvet. Shego purred and Kim whimpered as Bonnie slowly made short work of the bow. They were all panting in anticipation by the time the bow fell.

“Oh, my,” Shego pretended to gasp in shock. “Whatever shall we do now?” 

“Everything…” Bonnie answered, eyes on the toys.

Shego almost fell over from that response. She had not expected Bonnie to openly express her curiosity that soon. Glancing at Kim, olive eyes focused on the toys, but she did not seem ready to say she wanted to try something. Shego kissed the corner of Kim’s mouth. 

“It’s Bonnie’s birthday,” the eldest reminded Kim.

“I know. So, what are we doing, baby?” Kim asked. Hey, she could do anything.

Bonnie just took a breath. “You know what, we have all day. Let’s see where everything takes us.”

That was good enough for her wives and deep kisses were exchanged. Heavy breathing filled the room and mews of a pleasure mixed with growls of desire. Begging and orders were whispered through clouds of sweet delight and waves of ecstasy. Bonnie was the first one to reach for something beyond their own bodies, which Shego and Kim believed to be appropriate. 

“Baby, on your back,” Bonnie commanded in a hiss that sent hot lightning down Kim’s spine and the hero was on her back in a flash. “Shego, behind me.”

The pale woman grinned. “Yes, your highness.” 

Kim swallowed and wiggled as Bonnie settled between her legs. Shego went behind Bonnie and wasted no time kissing her neck, hands wandering Bonnie’s sleek skin. Bonnie moaned loudly as heated fingertips roamed the swells of her breasts before inching in closer to the centers of taut, aching, plump gems.

“Duchess, you’re forgetting about Kimmie,” Shego whispered, glancing down at Kim, who looked ready to pop.

Bonnie yelped. “Oh, god, sorry, baby.”

“S’okay. Do something,” the redhead begged.

Bonnie leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to Kim’s mouth before venturing lower, kissing other lips soon enough. Her mouth distracted Kim enough for her to prepare both the hero and their new friend. Bonnie worked a finger in and then two, moving with ease. Once she felt like Kim was truly ready, she replaced her fingers with something a little bigger. Kim let out a long groan from the slow intrusion and panted as she was stretched just right. Bonnie watched in fascination as olive eyes rolled up in the back of Kim’s head. 

“You all right?” Bonnie asked, needing to be sure, even though Kim looked pretty fine from her point of view.

Kim made a noise, which was interpreted as, “Yes.” 

“That’s hot,” Shego said, biting at Bonnie’s neck while watching Kim’s reaction. “So, is this,” she added as she slid into Bonnie. The lawyer jumped and lost her rhythm with Kim, who was too far gone to notice.

Bonnie was able to recover enough to continue her movements with Kim. The redhead began clawing at the bed, reaching for one of her wives. She managed to get a grip on Bonnie, trying to pull her down, but Bonnie would not be moved beyond what her hand was doing to Kim and the fact that her hips were trying to keep pace with Shego. All too soon, Kim was thrashing and Bonnie was bucking out of control. Bonnie was pleased that Kim stilled right before she collapsed. Shego watched them for a moment. 

“What about me?” Shego asked, pouting as if hurt.

“Gimme a second. I wanna try something else with you,” Bonnie purred.

Shego could guess what Bonnie wanted to try with her and she would let her, mostly because that meant she would have an excuse to do it to Bonnie later. So, she let them have their rest. It was not a surprise Kim recovered first.

“Come here, love. I can warm you up for Bonnie,” Kim suggested.

Shego smirked and took Kim up on that offer. She had to slide over Bonnie, who whimpered at the feel of skin against her. Kim and Shego met in a kiss and Kim’s hands caressed Shego until they rested on her breasts. Shego moaned into her mouth as Kim kneaded Shego’s sensitive skin. Kim paused when she noticed Bonnie watching them. 

“You like the show?” Kim asked.

Bonnie nodded. “Continue, please.”

Kim went right back to kissing and caressing Shego. They made sure to put on a show for Bonnie, long kisses with their mouths open and lots of noise. Eventually, Bonnie moved, grabbing the next toy she wanted to try. 

“You want any help?” Shego asked, speaking to Bonnie.

“I’ll figure it out,” Bonnie replied. “Keep going.” 

Shego did not need to be told twice. Turning her attention back to Kim, she kissed the hero like it was the last thing she would do. With Kim’s hands on her breasts, for a moment she was confused when she felt another hand join in, but that was the right amount of hands. Bonnie caressed her from behind. Shego raised her hips, wanting to give Bonnie better assess to her body. When Bonnie slipped inside, Shego let loose a cute mew.

“Wow, I don’t think we’ve ever heard that noise,” Bonnie commented. “Was that from anticipation?”

“Sh-shut up,” Shego hissed, knowing Bonnie was teasing her in more than one way. 

“You can’t tell me to shut up on my birthday. Baby, you need to keep Shego’s mouth busy if she’s going to be so mean to me,” Bonnie remarked.

Kim had no problem with that, putting her hand on the back of Shego’s head and pulling her down with another kiss. Shego moaned and her hand drifted in between Kim’s legs, needing to do something to someone. Her breath hitched as she felt Bonnie slip two more fingers in her.

“God, Bonnie,” Shego groaned. “Do it before you make me…” She could not complete that thought because Kim pulled her down once more for another kiss.

“Don’t tell me what to do on my birthday,” Bonnie replied and then she gave Shego exactly what she wanted. Shego groaned into Kim’s mouth as Bonnie slid into with every wonderful inch of the toy.

Bonnie moved her hips slowly, experimentally, and from the way Shego was moaning, she could only assume she was doing things right. Pleasure shot through Bonnie as the toy pressed against her just right with each push of her hips. Soon, she slid in and out of Shego with ease, holding Shego’s hips, and pulling Shego to her.

“Fuck!” Shego moaned, fingers moving frantically against Kim now. She was not going to last might longer and she needed Kim to finish. 

The little noises that escaped Kim only added to Shego’s pleasure and the fact that Bonnie was moving just right was too much. Shego’s body shuddered as ecstasy washed over her and she fell onto Kim’s body with Bonnie’s name on her lips. For a while, the world faded. When it came back into focus she felt Kim kissing the side of her head.

“Did you…?” Shego asked. 

“Yeah,” Kim replied.

“Duchess?” Shego called.

“Right here,” Bonnie replied, curling up next to them, pressing herself against Kim’s side. “You liked that?” she asked, running her hand through Shego’s hair. 

“Where the hell did you learn to do that?” Shego asked, letting out a long breath.

Bonnie chuckled. “Lucky first try.” 

“Lucky first try? Shit, you’re going to be dangerous with some practice then,” Shego said and then she turned to Kim, giving her a proper kiss. “You okay with being on the bottom?”

Kim’s hand wandered to Shego’s ass. “Perfectly fine.”

They settled in for a brief rest before engaging in round three. Eventually, all of the toys, even the velvet bow was put to use. The trio only stopped exploring due to exhaustion, but tomorrow was another day.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: baby.


	13. History of Western Civilization 211 — How to Let Go of the Past for the Future’s Sake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Cali and Carina, though. 
> 
> A/N: for those of you who don’t know who Carina is, she appears in the prequel of this series, Something’s Gotta Give.

13: History of Western Civilization 211 — How to Let Go of the Past for the Future’s Sake 

Kim watched her class as they went through some exercises. She could not help thinking about the Moms, and their push for grandchildren. She looked at her students and imagined one of them belonging to her and her wives. It was very easy to picture. A smile settled on her face before she even realized. 

“Maybe they were onto something,” Kim quietly considered.

She liked working with her students and her students liked her. She could patiently deal with a lot of things that only kindergarten teachers could relate to and she did not mind. At the end of the day, she silently admitted, she could see herself walking upstairs, hand in hand, with a little person of her very own. Well, of her, Bonnie, and Shego’s very own. The thought made a warm feeling settle in her body and washed over her soul.

Of course, she did have to consider such a child would be subjected to a very strange family life. To have three mothers alone would be far from normal, but to also live somewhere with a cat that turned into a cat-girl might be too much. She doubted a child would be able to keep Cali a secret and might not be able to understand why people would be off-put by the fact that the child had three mothers. While it did not bother her, she imagined a small child having to deal with that in school might be too much.

“I think I need to talk with Shego and Bonnie about this eventually,” Kim muttered before refocusing on her class.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie was supposed to be working, but found herself distracted by thoughts from her birthday party. She hated that she was thinking about Isabel’s desire for grandchildren. She had never discussed it with her spouses, not even when it was just her and Kim, but she would like to have kids.

It was no secret that she had a horrible childhood. Her siblings had been cruel and hateful. Her father had been indifferent or mean. Her mother had tried to smother her with attention, but had ignored how her siblings had treated her. She had hated being home, hated being herself for so long, and had treated other people terribly because that was all she knew. She wanted a chance to do better. She was certain she could do that with Kim and Shego.

She thought it was funny that when Shego first came along, she figured she would have to leave that dream behind. She had doubts about Shego since the woman had been a villain and had tried to hurt Kim in the past. She thought there was no way that such a woman could be a good mother. And then she met Isabel; it was like seeing Shego twenty years in the future. Isabel was weird and her relationship with Shego was odd, but she definitely seemed to be a good mother.

She believed Shego would be like Isabel. If they had a boy, Shego would probably shine as a parent. If they had a daughter, there was a big chance that Shego would have the same relationship with their little girl as she had with her own mother. They would argue and fight, but Shego would love the little girl with all of her heart and do everything in her power to keep her safe and happy.

She wondered if their parenting styles would clash. She sometimes feared she would turn into one of her parents if she had a child. But, the fact that it scared the crap out of her let her know she would not become her parents. She would stop herself if she did and, if she did not, Kim would definitely bring her back from the brink of disaster. Good people who would stop her from doing anything terrible if she could not stop herself surrounded her. 

“I wonder what type of child we would raise together,” Bonnie wondered aloud. “Wait, would we be able to raise a child together? I mean, three parents might be too much. Two parents often argue or clash and kids sometimes turn them against each other or try to be sly with each parent. Can we do this with three people?”

She thought about people with parents and stepparents. If they viewed the stepparent as an additional parent, how did they deal with that? Some people had to make that work, right?

She shook that thought away. It did not matter about stepparents because this was not even about a stepparent. This was just about having three parents from the start. The three of them had managed a relationship that was better than most couples, so she liked to think that they would be able to raise at least one child without screwing it up. Besides, they would have help in their parents and she was certain all the brothers would do their parts as well.

“It should be fine. We’d have so much support. While I don’t think we should consider it right now, I think I want us to consider it in the near future,” Bonnie decided. She was not sure how she would bring that subject up to her spouses, but that thought took a backseat as her phone rang.

Her daydreams turned to nightmares as she learned a deal that she had worked out and was sure would be accepted had been scratched. A frown conquered her face as she read an email that she had to sit down for a new deal because suddenly her terms were “unacceptable and bordering on immoral.” She had to refrain from cursing the bastard out for saying such a thing, but she was not a big enough fish to do that. Instead, she pulled up the case on her Kimmunicator and got to work. The day got even worse when her boss entered her office.

“Hello, Bonnie, I have a new case I want to give you. I tried to give that moron Robert a chance and I have seriously never seen someone mess up so much so quickly,” Charlie Darrow sighed, shaking his head. He placed a thick folder onto her desk.

Her eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw the size of the case. “What happened?”

“You name it, it happened. As you know, Robert got his place here through pure nepotism. The same people that hate having you here welcomed him. I figure this would be a good way for you to show them what I finally see,” he explained.

Bonnie nodded. “It would be nice for everyone to stop looking at me as if I don’t deserve to be here.” She would like to make some friends at work. It had been a couple of years and her coworkers continued to act like she was wearing a scarlet letter.

“Well, if you fix this mess, I’m sure things will change.”

Bonnie hoped so, but she was also aware that Darrow just conned her. He had done that a few times, but it worked because it helped her prove herself, at least to him. She could only wonder what she would have to do to prove herself to the other partners. Those were the same people that were happy to give Robert a job, no matter how many times he messed up because he happened to be the nephew of a named partner. She wondered what Robert would have to do to earn his scarlet letter because being incompetent did not seem to stop people from acting like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Charlie Darrow exited the office and Bonnie scanned through the case. Each page made the frown on her face deepen. She was convinced that Robert was a moron and she had possibly bitten off more than she could chew considering she had tons of work to do without adding more. But, it was too late to back out now.

“Might as well get to work,” she sighed. There would be no more daydreaming… except maybe thoughts of strangling Robert.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie practically dragged herself in the apartment after a grueling day at the office. She had actually left early, tired of the cases, of people in and out of her office, of the endless push and pull that seemed to get nowhere. She just wanted to take a long, hot bath and pass out on the couch. Hopefully, one of her wives would be kind enough to cook.

When she fell onto the sofa, Cali trotted out of nowhere. She reached down, petting the feline’s head. Cali purred, but gave her a quizzical look; well, as quizzical as a cat could.

“What, my being here early cut into your kitty party?” Bonnie joked.

Cali marched off, leaving Bonnie to wonder what she was up to. The cat returned with her favorite toy, a stuffed bunny that rattled. Standing on her hind legs, she put the toy in Bonnie’s arms. Bonnie giggled at Cali’s generosity and scratched her ear.

“Thanks, Cali, but I’m afraid it’ll take more than your favorite toy to make me feel better,” Bonnie sighed.

Cali tilted her head, obviously puzzled by that. She ran off again, leaving Bonnie with the chewed up toy. After a few minutes, she assumed that Cali had gone about her business because the cat did not return. Then she heard the door open and Kim entered the living room.

“Baby?” the redhead said with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Kimmie.” Bonnie put her hands out for her lover. Kim wasted no time falling into her arms and she curled into Kim’s solid form.

“Baby, what are you doing home?” Kim asked in a gentle tone.

“What are you doing here?” Bonnie countered, not ready to talk about her problems.

“I was cleaning up my class when Cali came down and got me. Now, what’s wrong?”

The attorney sighed and just snuggled into Kim more. Kim did not press anymore, just rubbing Bonnie’s back. They did not move as they heard the door open and were not surprised that Shego joined them on the couch. Cali jumped up on the back of the sofa.

“Okay, what’s going on here that the fat cat had to come and get me?” Shego inquired, getting in on the snuggle fest.

“Work sucks,” Bonnie mumbled, hiding her face in Kim’s collarbones.

“Not for me,” Shego remarked, earning a pinch from Kim. “Ow!”

“Be good,” Kim reprimanded Shego before turning her attention to Bonnie. “Baby, what happened at work?”

The lawyer sighed. “They gave me this case that one of the partners’ nephew had already had and had basically fucked up beyond any and all recognition. I’m cleaning it up little by little and still being treated like a redheaded stepchild, no offense baby, while that clown wasn’t even reprimanded for the shit he did. How is that fair? I mean, really, how the hell is that fair?”

“Doesn’t sound fair at all, to me,” Kim said, stroking Bonnie’s hair. 

“Who’s treating you like that?” Shego inquired.

“It doesn’t matter. Charlie told me that I’d be able to get respect by taking this case, but as usual, he’s really the only person acknowledging my effort. It’s frustrating.”

“So… why don’t you just tell them that?” Shego proposed with a slightly furrowed brow.

“What? Love, these guys are my bosses,” Bonnie pointed out.

“So what? You wouldn’t let any other person treat you like shit, so they shouldn’t get a pass because they’re your bosses. You should do what you usually would do in that situation. Even if they fire you, so the hell what? Start your own small practice. You’re good enough to pull that shit off. You don’t need their shit,” Shego said. 

“I actually agree with all of that,” Kim stated, sounding a bit shocked that she did.

Bonnie looked at both of her wives and was speechless. It all made sense. She did not _have_ to stay there. While she did not have to work, she did enjoy working, but she did not have to work there. She could do exactly like Shego said.

“I can’t believe I never thought of that. I don’t have to deal with this shit!” Bonnie proclaimed, earning lighthearted chuckles from her spouses.

“No, you don’t,” Shego agreed. 

“I don’t think it occurred to you because you’re used to being the main bread winner out of us and you seem to think you have to work all the time,” Kim pointed out.

“I know, but I like working, but it’s like Shego said. I don’t _have_ to work there. I don’t _have_ to feel this way. I don’t have to put up with this crap and I’m going to tell them just that tomorrow,” Bonnie stated. 

“Okay, so the crisis is over?” Shego inquired.

Bonnie smiled. “Yes, thank both of you,” she said, holding Kim tightly. She did not want to let the hero go just yet. Cali made a noise, reminding them that she was there. Bonnie reached up and scratched her ear. “Thank you, too, you’re such a good cat.” Cali purred, sounding proud.

“Since the crisis is over and we’re all here, how about we watch a movie?” Shego suggested. 

“Sounds like a good idea. You two can pick while I go take a quick shower,” Kim said.

“Actually, I’ll join you. Duchess, you coming or you’ll pick the movie?” Shego asked. 

“I took a bath already. I’ll find a movie for us,” Bonnie replied.

“You sure? I planned on doing some really dirty things to you and Kimmie,” Shego said with a lusty grin. 

“You can do them to Kim now and do them to me tonight. Actually, baby, you can tell me if it’s worth the hype,” Bonnie remarked and Kim laughed.

“What? Of course it’s worth the hype!” Shego declared before dragging Kim toward the bathroom.

Bonnie laughed as they vanished into the bedroom. She picked a movie and then pampered Cali a bit because she felt like the cat deserved it. Once her wives returned, they called out for pizza and just lounged for the night. Crisis averted and the legal rottweiler had her bite back.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego and her class were having a pretty normal day when the ninjas came out of nowhere. Yori’s class invaded, warring with Shego’s crew. Amongst the group, Shego noticed Ron’s sister, Hana. She did not know that Hana had joined Yori’s class. Not that it mattered since Shego was sure that her class was going to win the battle, even though none of their melees really ever had a clear winner.

By the time class was over and it was time for lunch, most of the students had cleared out. There had been no actual winner again, but everyone had a good workout. Hana was laid out on the mat, smiling and trying to catch her breath. Yori stared at the child. Shego noted the love and pride in Yori’s dark eyes. She imagined that was how Yori would look at her own child, if she decided to have any.

“What made you attack?” Shego asked cleaning up a little. It would not do to have her afternoon students arrive to chaotic class.

Yori shrugged. “We have not done that in so long that I had students who had never been a part of one. Not to mention, Hana wanted to see one after hearing so much about them.”

“Is she in your class now?” 

“Yes,” Hana chimed in with a laugh. “I wanna be able to do that more often.”

Yori chuckled. “Well, I guess she is in my class now.” Her eyes shined, as if that was exactly what she was hoping for. 

“I’m sure you’re looking forward to teaching her,” Shego commented.

“I enjoy spending time with her. As does her big brother, who is waiting for us to have lunch. Hana, please, go grab your things,” Yori requested. The girl nodded, picked herself up, and trotted off. 

“You wanted her to join your class, huh?” Shego inquired.

“I have been trying for a while, but her parents never agreed until recently for some reason. It is always a struggle with them when I want to do something with her. They do not mind her spending time with me, but they definitely mind if I try to start showing her things, especially anything they consider Japanese,” Yori explained. “Whatever that means.”

“They probably think her learning anything from the Japanese culture might alienate her from their family and they don’t want to lose their daughter. I guess you’ll just have to have your own kids to teach them Japanese culture.” 

Yori laughed a bit. “I suppose so, but I do not know much about Japanese culture really. I was practically raised at Yamanouchi.”

“Then that’s what you teach Hana and you teach your kid when you have one.”

“Is that what you would do?” Yori asked because she knew that Shego technically had no real national culture to draw from. 

“What, if I had kids?”

“Yes, is that what you would do if you had children?” 

Shego tried not to think about it. “I’ve never really considered having kids.”

“No? Your mother seems to push the idea pretty hard. I would have thought that you would have you considered it just because of that.”

The former villain bobbed her head from side to side. “She only recently started pushing for grandchildren. Growing up, she kinda just let us do our own thing while teaching us kung fu. She never really pushed us to do anything beyond that. Relationships were not really important.”

“Do you think that you will be a good mother if you do become one?”

Shego shrugged. “I never thought about it.” But, she would now be left to think about it because Hana returned. She and Yori bid Shego farewell to go have lunch with Ron. She decided to go get Kim, so they could have lunch with Bonnie.

Kim was still in her class, cleaning her classroom. It always took Kim longer to clean, which led Shego to believe that little kids were messy. She was not sure if she would want to clean up after a kid, after anybody really. But, then again, she was all too aware that kids could be trained to clean after themselves. She and her brothers had always known not to leave their things lying around the house. They were expected to store their things in their rooms; some had better organizational skills than others, but they all knew that their stuff belonged in their rooms.

“Hey, love, you all right?” Kim called, snapping Shego out of her thoughts. 

“Yeah, just thinking.” 

“About what?”

“Kids. Yori had Hana with her downstairs and we got to talking about kids for second.” 

Kim nodded. “Do you want kids, Shego?”

A pale hand ran through dark locks. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. What about you?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it either. I do think we’d make good mothers. I think maybe…” Kim did not sound totally sure of things, but it seemed like she had thought on it more than she let on. 

“Maybe you want a kid?” Shego guessed.

“Maybe, but having three moms could be weird. I don’t want us to… I’m not even sure.” 

Shego smiled. “Oh, Kimmie, it’s cute that you’re worried about a kid that doesn’t exist and how her peers would treat her. First off, if we had a kid, considering who we are, we’d raise her to not take shit from anyone. Second, we’d raise a kid to be proud of us, so dumb shit like that wouldn’t hurt her feelings. Third, we all grew up in weird families and turned out fine. Sure, it took some of us longer than others to get there, but we’re all relatively fine.” 

Kim nodded. “Sounds like you’d like a daughter.”

Shego shrugged. “Despite all that, I really haven’t thought about it.”

“Maybe we should.”

Shego was not sure what to say to that, so she did not say anything. She took by the hand and led her downstairs. They had a lunch to get to with their wife.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego was distracted. Bonnie wondered what was wrong, but Kim would not tell her and Shego was too off in her own world to figure that Bonnie was talking to her. Bonnie decided to just talk to Kim until Shego checked back in.

“So, I told the partners off today and then told off almost all of my coworkers,” Bonnie announced with a proud grin.

“Are we still employed?” Kim asked with a smile of her own. 

Bonnie chuckled. “Unbelievably, but yes we do. Best of all, they all hated me already, so it’s not like things could get worse for me at work. I think they respect me a lot more now. Before the day was over, a few people came to my office to say what a good job I was doing. I guess, being a bitch is the only way to get stuff done there.”

Kim smiled. “You know how to do that, so you should be fine.” 

A lighthearted laugh escaped Bonnie and she lightly slapped at Kim’s shoulder. “That’s not nice.”

“Are we at the abuse Kimmie portion of lunch?” Shego chimed in with a smile of her own. 

“No, Kimmie’s just being a smart-ass,” Bonnie replied.

The redhead smirked. “I can’t help it that I’m smart. But, to make it up to you, how about I take you both out for dinner? We can celebrate things getting better for you at work.” 

“Wait, things got better for you at work?” Shego inquired.

“Yes. I guess I’ll have to repeat the story for you now that you’re paying attention again. Why are you so distracted?” Bonnie countered.

Shego glanced at Kim and then shook her head. The lawyer frowned; her wives were hiding something from her. She considered it might not be anything. It could be a surprise, but it did not feel that way. There was something going on between the two martial artists. Bonnie sighed and decided to just put her thoughts out there. 

“I don’t like it that you’re hiding something from me,” Bonnie said in a low, sorrowful voice.

Shego actually pouted. “Duchess, it’s nothing bad. I just have something on my mind that I was discussing with Kimmie earlier. I just need to straighten it out in my head.”

“Maybe if you tell me, I could help,” Bonnie offered.

Shego nodded. “As soon as I straighten it out. Maybe at dinner tonight as we bankrupt poor Princess.” She winked at Kim.

Olive eyes rolled. While they had joint accounts for most of their funds, they had agreed to each maintain one separate account for when they wanted to treat each other. Of course, Kim had the least amount in her account, even though she did her best to keep money in there. Most of the money she made with her classes she just put right back into the school or treated her students to things. She had even gone back to freelance photography, continuing to take gorgeous pictures while on her missions and sell the prints, but Bonnie was a lawyer and Shego was a trust fund baby. She could not compete with those things. 

“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take it easy on you,” Bonnie teased and Kim smiled.

-8-8-8-8-

The trio had dressed for a night out and Cali followed them around the apartment. It was clear from the big eyes that cat gave them that she wanted to go with them. Kim, who was ready first as always, caressed Cali’s head.

“Sorry, Cali, you can’t come. I’ll bring you back a nice salmon steak, though, okay?” Kim offered, but the feline still purred in disappointment. Kim smiled and gave her another pat to the head. 

“Stop babying her,” Shego ordered as she stepped out of the back dressed in black with emeralds around her neck.

“She needs attention just like any of us do. Besides, she expected us to be here with her tonight. Now, she’ll be lonely,” Kim argued. 

“Oh, please, as soon as we leave she’s going to go out hunting,” Shego pointed out. Cali actually nodded, confirming that to be true.

Kim chuckled. “I’ll still bring you some food. Be good while we’re gone and protect the place.” 

Cali nodded and, once Bonnie was ready to go, the trio left. Bonnie drove to the restaurant. They were actually a little early and had to wait at the bar. Bonnie went to the bathroom, wanting to check her makeup. Kim decided to surprise Bonnie with a glass of her favorite wine. While she was ordering, Shego scanned the area and saw a blond woman watching Kim at the end of the bar.

Shego glared at the woman, who did not seem to notice. Shego mentally conceded it was probably hard for the blond to notice the glower with her eyes glued to Kim’s ass. Bonnie returned and smiled at Kim when she handed her the wine glass. They were seated shortly after that. By that time, the blond that had been clocking Kimmie was gone. Shego did not let it go, but did not share the information with her wives. 

“Kim, baby, how did you find this place?” Bonnie asked curiously as they were seated. It was a brilliant looking place, which was actually well outside of Kim’s usual price range. She could see why Kim had told them to dress as nicely as possible.

Kim grinned. “I helped out the owner.” 

Shego laughed. “Of course.”

“Hey, you guys have your form of wealth and I have mine. I can still show you a good time without thousands of dollars in my possession.” Kim smiled proudly. 

Shego and Bonnie chuckled. A waiter came to take their orders. With that out of the way, they turned their attention back to each other. Bonnie was next to Kim and Shego was across from them. She reached over the table to touch both of them. They all knew had she been sitting next to one of them, her hands would have been on other, more inappropriate places.

“So, are you ready to share what’s bothering you?” Bonnie asked Shego while running her fingers up and down Shego’s forearm. 

Shego gave a jokingly demure smile. As she opened her mouth, something caught her attention. She noticed the blond woman from the bar was sitting not too far from them, facing their table. The blond was with someone, but all Shego could see was the back of the person’s head, much like the blond could see the back of Kim’s head. That seemed to be enough for her, though, because she was still staring. 

“Shego?” Kim said.

“Huh?” Shego shook her head to clear her mind.

“You okay? Actually, hold on.” The hero stood and walked off.

“You know she’s going to get you one of those stupid fruity drinks with an umbrella that you pretend to hate,” Bonnie reported with a smile. 

“What? I hate those things,” the former villain lied.

Bonnie continued to smile and shook her head while Shego watched the blond woman get up, possibly going to the bar to chat Kim up. She was about to get up to interrupt the encounter, but then the person sitting with the blond turned around. Shego almost swallowed her tongue when she saw who was sitting little more than twenty feet from her. 

“Carina,” Shego whispered with wide eyes. “Oh, my god, Carina.” She was standing before she realized.

“Shego?” Bonnie called as the pale woman walked off. She did not receive an answer. “Shego?” She stood, watching Shego go to a nearby table. She wondered what was going on, if she should confront Shego or leave her be. Looking around, she spotted Kim at the bar. The redhead seemed to be busy trying to fend off a persistent blond. “Well, at least this decision is easy.”  

Bonnie marched over to the bar, her hips swaying, and sexual heat radiating from her. She practically melded her body to Kim’s side. Kim relaxed against her as she glared at the blond for a very brief moment. She then smiled at Kim.

“Baby, you’ve been taking so long,” Bonnie forced out a pout.

“Sorry, love. I was held up a bit,” Kim replied with a smile before leaning over to kiss away Bonnie’s moue. 

“Well, we should get back to our table,” Bonnie said, pulling her wife away. Kim did not object, nor did she bid the blond farewell. In fact, Kim did not even look back. “Something’s up with Shego.”

“Yeah, all day, which is why I got this.” Kim held up her bounty, a fruity concoction with multiple umbrellas. 

“She muttered a woman’s name and then walked away from the table,” Bonnie explained. Kim arched an eyebrow in confusion, but Bonnie had no more to offer.

-8-8-8-8-

“Carina?” Shego said in disbelief as she stood in front of the woman that she had not seen in over twenty years.

The woman looked up and it certainly was Carina, but not the girl that she knew. Carina was a woman with the same soulful brown eyes that seemed to call to Shego while looking into the depths of her very being. Eyes that once made her heart race, but now made her feel like ashes ran through her veins.

“Little artist?” Carina said, blinking in shock.

Shego frowned. “You don’t get to call me that anymore. What the hell are you doing in my neck of the woods?”

Carina had the nerve to roll her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, do you own the whole western hemisphere? North America? Or is it just the United States?”

The frown was now a deep, cutting scowl accompanied by a loathing glare. “I thought you never wanted to come to the U.S. But, I guess that was just another lie you told me.”

“Sheshona, it was twenty years ago. You can’t let it go?” 

“Oh, no, I have. Believe me, I have, but seeing you here pisses me off because it reminds me about what a fucking liar you are. You know how I am, after all.”

Carina sighed as if she was the one who was hurt. “Sheshona, what do you want from me?” 

“An admission of wrongdoing would be a great start. You always pretend I’m the crazy one or that I made it all up in my head. You haven’t taken responsibility for anything and you’ve always tried to just blow me off, like it was nothing.”

“I was a child.”

“And now you’re an adult. You got something to say?” Shego demanded and Carina sat there quietly, as expected. “Still a coward,” Shego practically spat.

“Carina, who is this?” the blond asked. Carina opened her mouth, but nothing came out. 

“Don’t worry about me. Still a lesbian magnet, huh, Carina? What boyfriend are you trying to make jealous with her?” Shego inquired.

“Hey, leave Carina alone,” the blond ordered. 

“No problem, as long as Carina finds her way out of my country ASAP. But, Carina, like I said, I am over it. We were kids, but I had hope you’d be able to admit you did something wrong. You were my best friend long before you were my first love and I thought our friendship would at least mean something to you. But, you know what? It doesn’t even matter. You don’t matter,” Shego declared and she moved to leave.

“Little artist, wait!” Carina cried, grabbing the ex-thief by the hand. “Once upon a time you would not have been so harsh to me.”

“Like you said, it was twenty years ago. My heart has mended. I just had hope. Hope you’d finally become a bigger person. Instead, you’re the same person you’ve always been and I don’t have to deal with that shit. Now, let me go or I’ll yank my hand away and probably hurt you.”

“You can’t talk to her like that while I’m around,” the blond stated and reached out to grab Shego. Shego surprised her by grabbing her first. 

“This isn’t any of your business, but since you seem intent on getting involved, let me tell you this — stop looking at my wife. She’s not interested in you. She’s got more than enough at home.”

“Wife?” both women gasped.

“Yes, I’m married. And, I just remembered how awesome that is. So, I’m done with this bullshit. Bye,” Shego stated, tearing away from Carina. 

She almost pulled the brunette Italian out of her chair, but did not care. People around them gasped, probably expecting Carina to stumble. She marched back to her table without looking back.

“Duchess, can I sit here?” Shego requested, so that her back would be to Carina and her friend. 

“Of course, love, anything you need,” Bonnie answered, taking Shego’s old seat. “Are you all right, love? That looked intense.” She reached over to take Shego’s hand.

Kim caressed Shego’s bare arm. “Do you want to leave?” 

“No. I want to enjoy the night with my wives, as planned. I let her run and ruin enough of my life. Fuck her,” Shego declared before sipping the drink Kim had gotten her to help her talk.

“Who is that?” Kim asked. 

“My first friend and first love. Also, my first heartbreak,” the older woman answered.

“She broke up with you?” Bonnie guessed.

“No, we were never together like that. We were the best of friends when I lived in Italy. She was my first friend on my own. Before that, I hung out with Hadrian’s friends, which used to piss him off. It was around that time he was getting unbearable, too. She was great…” Shego shook her head. 

“Did you confess your love for her and she didn’t take it well?” Kim asked.

“No, nothing like that. I never told her I was in love with her. But, we were really young. I knew I loved her, but not romantically.” 

“So, what happened?” Kim inquired and Bonnie nodded.

Shego suggested. “I moved back to the States. We kept in touch for a few years.” She paused in her explanation for a second as Carina walked over. She did not bother looking at her. “I’m busy.” 

“I know. Sheshona, I just need you to listen. I was wrong for using you. I was also wrong for telling you about all of those dates. I wanted you to understand I was not _that_ _way_ and I went about it the wrong way. I am sorry,” Carina said.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Shego asked. 

“My friend, Abrianna, wanted to know what that was all about. I’ve never told anyone about what happened between us and I just poured it out to her, hoping she’d validate my stance on the issues. You can guess how that went. She… opened my eyes. So, I’m sorry for it all, including for downplaying your emotions, now and then.”

Shego nodded. “That’s all I wanted. Now, you can go. I’m having an evening out with my family.” She dismissed Carina with a wave of her hand. This woman was no longer important and did not deserve any more of her attention. 

Carina nodded and did not ask any questions. She disappeared into the background. Shego seemed much happier with that.

“You still want to talk about it?” Bonnie asked, squeezing Shego’s hand. 

“Not much to talk about now. All I ever wanted was for her to admit that she was wrong. She…” Shego almost swallowed the words, but consciously decided against it. Her wives had seen her through a lot and she had done the same with them. She needed to say this and they needed to hear it. “She hurt me. I’ve always had trouble making friends and she was my first one, only to treat me like shit after I had to move again.”

“What did she do?” Bonnie inquired. 

“She used to call me and tell me about her dates, even when I told her I didn’t want to know. One time when I went to see her, she clung to me when she wanted a boy to get jealous. She practically shoved me to the ground as soon as he was gone. She knew I was gay before I knew and she just messed with my head,” Shego explained.

“Damn,” Bonnie and Kim said. 

“But, it’s all right. I’m over it. I made a better friend in Jennifer and she always there for me, even if I didn’t want her to be. I have you two and our family. That’s fair for me,” Shego replied with a smile.

“Oh, wow, how sweet,” Kim said with a smile of her own. 

Shego laughed. “It shouldn’t be a surprise I love you both. I did marry you and all.”

“That you did,” Bonnie smiled.

“That being said, I was thinking of us extending our family. Me and Kim talked about briefly and that’s what’s been on my mind for the day. I’m not too sure if I want that or not, but I was thinking about it. What do you think, Duchess?” Shego asked. 

“Honestly?” Bonnie inquired.

“Yeah, be honest. That’s how we work. That’s the great thing about us,” Shego answered and Kim nodded.

“I think… I think I’d like to have kids one day,” Bonnie admitted. “But, I want to enjoy a few more nights like this first. Well, without the drama.”

Shego and Kim agreed. They supposed they would revisit the topic of children at a later date. For now, they would be content as the family they were. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: the family grows.


	14. Ecology 211 — How to Prepare and Interact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters. Disney does. Well, I do own Isabel, Kane, and Cali.

14: Ecology 211 — How to Prepare and Interact 

It was a lazy weekend for the trio. Shego was beating up on her pinball machine. Kim was playing tug of war with Cali. Bonnie was lying on the couch with her Kimmunicator tablet, aka the Bon-pad according to Kim, but Bonnie had yet to name in hand, appearing to be working. 

“Do you think we should adopt or go with artificial insemination?” Bonnie pondered aloud.

“Wha?” Kim was so stunned that Cali was able to pull her over. She made a strangled noise as she tried to catch her balance, but Cali had her. She ended up on the floor. 

“The hell?” It sounded like Shego fell against the pinball machine. “The hell you say? Fuck, Duchess, I lost the ball!”

Bonnie snickered. “I just wondered where we stood on that now. I mean, it’s been a year. Isabel… well, Mommy is sure she’s going to die before we have kids. Or worse, the twins will beat us to it.” She and Kim were still trying their best to remember to call Isabel “Mommy” as Shego was struggling with “Mom” for Ann. It was easy to do when they faced the women, but not so much when the Moms were not around.

All the twins, Possibles and Gos, were now involved in serious relationships. Some longer than others, but all certain that they had found the One. There was some skepticism in that, but the twins were ignoring that. There were more than likely weddings in the future for Jim and Tim, but Wes and Wen seemed satisfied as they were.

“So, where do we stand?” Bonnie asked curiously. 

Kim picked herself up off of the floor and sat down by Bonnie, earning a sorrowful look from Cali because she still wanted to play. Shego exited the game room to pace the living room. Cali trotted around her.

“I wouldn’t mind adopting,” Kim offered, glancing at Shego. “There are a lot of kids out there that world be thankful for three moms, even if it’s weird.” 

“If we adopt, and this is a big IF, I want a baby. I think we need to start with a clean slate,” Shego replied, running her fingers through her hair.

“Would adopting appease your mother?” Bonnie asked. 

“Man, fuck Mommy. This is our decision. But, yes, she’d accept an adopted grandchild with open arms. At this point, she just wants a grandkid. If he or she fell from the sky, Mommy wouldn’t ask any questions,” Shego answered. 

“I’m sure the fact that you can practically hear your biological clock ticking away helps,” Bonnie teased.

The eldest frowned. “That’s the last time I tell you about my nightmares.” The lawyer stuck her tongue out at Shego. Recently, Shego had been having a recurring dream that she was too old to have a baby and it always made her wake up in an anxious sweat. Most of the dream, she could not remember, but she always knew she could not carry a baby.

“Bonnie, would you be all right with adopting?” Kim inquired.

Bonnie was silent for a moment. “I think… I think I want to have a baby. I want to carry a baby.” Her hand went to her flat belly for a moment.

Both Kim and Shego blinked, but that did not stop green eyes from going wide. Bonnie glanced down briefly and then smiled at them. Shego paused from pacing, eyed her wives, and then sat down with them.

“Are you sure?” Shego inquired, keeping her voice from shaking.

“Yes, I am,” Bonnie replied in a stronger tone.

“So, you want to be artificially inseminated?” Kim asked.

“Well… I guess in a way,” Bonnie replied.

Shego’s brow furrowed and she pursed her lips briefly. “In a way? How else do you plan on getting pregnant?”

Bonnie pressed her tablet and then moved, so her wives could see the screen. They looked at an email from Kim’s mother. Scanning it, they got the essence of the message. Science was on their side.

“You want to carry our baby,” Kim gasped. Shego’s mouth just hung open.

Bonnie nodded. “I do. What do you think?”

“I think that’s great. Oh, my god! It’s more than great!” Kim proclaimed and Shego nodded several times, tongue-tied by the revelation. They both embraced Bonnie and held her tightly. 

“So, we’re all on board with this plan?” Bonnie asked with a smile, even though that much was clear.

“Our own… our own …” Shego’s voice trembled and she put a hand to Bonnie’s stomach. Kim did the same and then Bonnie put her hand over theirs. 

“The growth of our family. Our own, biological baby,” Bonnie said in a low tone. Her wives had to take deep breaths.

“Our baby,” Shego whispered and then her entire face lit up. “Oh, my god, you want to have our baby!”

Bonnie laughed and Kim held them both tightly. Shego suddenly showered them both in wet kisses. Kim chuckled as she turned her head to get a proper kiss. They then turned their affection to Bonnie, who laughed even through the kisses. 

“I didn’t think you’d both be so happy over this,” Bonnie confessed.

“Are you kidding? You want to carry our baby! That’s fucking sweet!” Shego declared.

“Spanking!” was all Kim could manage.

They reveled in the good feelings for a moment longer before Cali interrupted. The feline jumped on Bonnie’s lap and stared between the three of them. Silence between them seemed to stretch to eternity before Kim spoke up.

“Cali, Bonnie wants to have a baby,” Kim explained. To that she got the closest thing to an arched eyebrow a cat could give. “Like a human cub.” Cali sat up a little straighter. 

“You’d have to protect the baby and not play with her until she was old enough. Okay?” Bonnie asked.

Cali nodded enthusiastically and then rolled off of Bonnie. She changed into her humanoid form and the first thing they noticed was her bright, wide grin. They smiled back at her. 

“I would definitely protect your human pup!” Cali proclaimed. “Packs always protect the pups. So, when will the pup get here? I wanna see!” They all laughed and Kim stroked Cali’s ear.

“Well, if we start the procedure immediately and it takes immediately, we could have a little human around in less than a year,” Bonnie told her.

Cali pouted. Despite her advanced brain, they guessed she told time similar to a dog. Everything was forever to her and while she could find things to occupy herself and distract herself, she still hated to wait. But, they were sure that in less than ten minutes, she would forget that they even mentioned a baby until the baby showed up. 

“It’ll go by in no time,” Bonnie promised.

“Are you sure?” Cali pressed, still pouting.

“Yeah, and while we wait, we get to watch the baby growing inside of Bonnie. We’ll watch her change and wonder about the person inside of her,” Shego chimed in softly, sounding awed by the idea.

“Then I take it we’re starting this immediately?” Bonnie guessed because of her wives’ reaction to the plan.

“I’ll call the lab tomorrow,” Kim offered.

“The Moms want us to call them. They said they should be able to make things go quickly,” Bonnie explained. 

“Whatever makes this easier and faster,” Shego replied.

“Then I’ll call them tomorrow,” Kim stated and everyone nodded, including Cali. 

-8-8-8-8-

The Moms came over the apartment more often, even though Bonnie was barely ten weeks pregnant. They mostly cooked, even though Shego and Kim tried to make the meals. Cali stayed close to Bonnie whenever she was home. Shego doubted she would be able to survive having her mother around another thirty weeks, even though she knew Bonnie and Kim enjoyed it when Isabel was around. She was certain that would wear thin soon enough, though.

“Have you started looking into names yet?” Isabel inquired, gliding around the kitchen.

“Did you look at the list that I gave you?” Ann added. She was in the kitchen, too.

“Yes,” Bonnie answered. 

“Did any of the names stand out?” the surgeon asked with hope in her voice.

“We’ll pick our own names, thank you both very much,” Shego commented as she came into the inhabited part of the building. She was in a green tank top and some black shorts. Flopping down on the sofa, she gathered Bonnie into her arms and her hands went right to Bonnie’s abdomen. 

“Shego, come on, I need to do this work,” Bonnie said, trying to wiggle away.

“You can. I just want to hold you and our little girl,” Shego replied. 

“Can I finish prepping my case? Besides, you’re supposed to be helping Kim set up the nursery,” Bonnie pointed out. 

“We’ve got eight months,” Shego countered.

“Firefly, let your Duchess breathe! You don’t have to be under her every second of the day!” Isabel scolded her daughter. 

Shego ignored her mother, not even bothering to respond with a snaky comment. She did not let go of Bonnie, who focused on her tablet, reading a document. Kim marched into the living room. She was dressed in a tank top and baggy sweat pants.

“Shego, what the hell? What happened to helping me clear the guest room to become the nursery?” Kim huffed, glaring at her spouse. 

“According to her, you have eight months to do that,” Isabel chimed in.

“Plenty of time,” Ann added, just to cause trouble. 

The hero stomped her foot. “Shego! We can’t just wait until the last minute to do this! We should get it done now while we have the time!”

“Kimmie, she’s barely a tadpole! Calm down,” Shego replied.

“No, I will not calm down. We agreed to get this done. We’ll have eight months to cuddle Bonnie and touch her stomach to feel our daughter. If you start putting it off, you’ll keep putting it off. Am I supposed to just do everything myself?” Kim demanded.

“Dammit, Princess, it’s only for right now,” Shego argued. 

“You say that now and then you’ll say it tomorrow. You know what, whatever. I can do anything. I’ll move the guest room to the other end of the apartment while you sit on your ass,” Kim declared, throwing her hands up. 

The hero was then gone in a fury. Shego watched her go, only reaffirming her grip on Bonnie. Bonnie wiggled, but did not turn.

“So, Kimmie and I do all the hard work while you sit around and reap the benefits? Hardly seems fair, my love. Will you also be the one that wants the baby only when she smiles?” Bonnie asked plainly. 

“Duchess,” Shego hissed. “I _will_ pull my weight. I just…” She did not have an explanation. She merely caressed Bonnie’s belly and some strange, but brilliant and light feeling coursed through her. She felt so connected to Bonnie and to their child. She loved it, could not get enough of it, and had to kiss Bonnie’s cheek in a way to let the attorney know how wonderful it all was. 

Bonnie turned, needing to see Shego. The soft expression in those emerald eyes was beyond anything Bonnie had seen. Something inside of Shego was changing or growing or developing. Bonnie was not sure which it was, but Shego could not allow it to take over or she would be negligent in other things.

“Sweetheart, please, go help Kim prepare the rooms. We’ll all appreciate it in the end,” Bonnie requested, patting a pale hand.

Shego frowned. “But…” Her hold on Bonnie tightened.

“Do you really want Kimmie mad at you for the whole night or longer? Do really think it’s fair to her to abandon her after you promised to help? You know she’ll remember and while she might not say anything about it for a while, it’s going to come up again.” 

Sighing, Shego took in the words. Now was not the time to come across as unreliable. If anything, she needed to prove that she could be trusted with anything, trusted to do anything. But, she did not want to leave Bonnie, her hands did not want to have their baby.

“You need to go, love,” Bonnie said gently as she eased Shego’s hands away from her.

Sighing again, Shego let go and got up. She marched over to the guest room, where Kim was unplugging the few electronics in the room. They were moving everything to the far side of the apartment, where they had several empty rooms. This guest room was to be their nursery. 

“Princess,” Shego said when it became obvious Kim was not going to say anything.

Kim did not even bother to glance up. Snorting, Shego stepped into room. The hero still did not look at her. She embraced Kim from behind and was pleased that Kim did not fight her on it. 

“Princess, I’m sorry,” she whispered into Kim’s ear. “I’m sorry about ditching you, even if it was for just a moment. I’m here for you. I want to help prepare for the baby. It’s just… I’m drawn to her for some reason. I’m fascinated with the idea there’s a baby there, growing, waiting, soon to be here. A tiny version of all three of us. I can’t believe it. It continues to blow my mind and I just have to touch her, hold her, feel that she’s there.”

“I can’t be the only one doing this, though. We’re supposed to be a team, there for each other. I should be able to count on you. If you say you’re going to help, I expect you to help,” Kim stated in a low tone, eyes facing forward.

“I know, Princess. I understand. I just need you to understand I’m a little distracted.” 

“Shego, you think you’re the only one? I’m taken with her, too, and she’s barely there, but things need to be ready for when she comes. I want to hold her, touch her, and feel her, but I also want to make sure that everything’s ready for her long before she shows up because I know we’re going to have to hit the ground running with her. Besides, the sooner we get ready, the sooner we can just lie around, feeling Bonnie’s belly. So, I want to get this done.”

Shego nodded; it made sense. Of course, it was contradictory to her nature, which was to wait until the last minute to do stuff, but they could not do that with a baby. They needed to make sure everything was ready for their little bundle of joy. So, she went back to work with helping to more stuff out of the guest room to help make way for the baby’s things. She kissed Kim’s neck as an apology and they got to work.

-8-8-8-8-

By the time Bonnie was showing, it seemed like she had a magnet in her stomach that attracted her spouses’ hands. Cali was almost as bad, paws or an ear pressed against her stomach. They were going to have a baby shower in a month, even though the other mothers and grandparents had pretty much purchased everything they needed. 

For the moment, the trio lay in bed. They let Cali sleep at foot of the bed for now. Bonnie slept in the middle, even though she got up several times at night, sometimes for food and sometimes for the bathroom. But, her wives both liked touching her swollen abdomen now and did not mind being awakened by her midnight wanderings. They even caressed her in their sleep. 

“Princess, Duchess,” Shego said in a sleepy tone. She was half-asleep, kissing on Bonnie’s shoulder. 

“Yeah?” Kim replied in just as a dazed tone. Her hand tucked neatly right below Bonnie’s belly button.

“I think … I think I want to do this,” the pale woman commented. 

“Be a mother? Good because we’re over two-thirds of the way there,” Bonnie remarked.

“No, carry one of these. I never really thought about, but it’s all I’ve thought about since you got pregnant, Duchess. I want to carry our next baby,” Shego explained. Her wives chuckled, almost as if they already knew that. 

“And when would you like to do this?” the redhead asked curiously, slightly teasing.

“Tomorrow if I could,” Shego answered honestly. 

“I don’t think we want to deal with two babies and a confused kitty, as you know we would,” Kim pointed out. While Cali had a vague idea about “pups,” they all knew that she was going to be utterly bewildered when the baby arrived. They tried their best to prepare her, along with themselves, but they all were completely aware that things were going to be crazy when the baby showed up. 

Shego nodded. “I know, I know. I just want you both to know that when we’re ready to do this again, I want to carry the baby. It seems so amazing.”

“Let’s get through this baby first,” Bonnie commented with a chuckle as she patted Shego’s hand.

“Yeah, who knows what kind of surprises she has to offer with all of our blood mixed together,” Kim remarked.

“She’s going to run us into the ground and we’ll love it,” Bonnie said.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Mom already said if she’s anything like Kim, we’re lucky there’s three of us plus a sentient cat,” Shego stated. “Mom” being Ann. They had been playing around with the titles a lot more recently, doing their best to get comfortable with them. It was easier with the Moms than the Dads, but they were doing their best there, too. They were one big happy family, after all.    

“Mom always makes it seem like I was a terror as a kid. I’m sure I couldn’t have been that bad,” Kim insisted.

“Considering how you are now, I can easily picture as some crazy kid that doesn’t understand doing certain things could very well kill you,” Shego replied.

“Seconded, which is another reason to hold off having another baby until we get to know this one. Kim’s genes might overpower ours. I doubt we’d survive raising two of her,” Bonnie teased. 

“Hey!” Kim pouted. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Sure you weren’t, baby.” Bonnie patted her hand. “Not that Shego was any better.” 

Shego gasped. “What? Who told you that?”

“Mommy, of course,” Bonnie smiled smugly. 

“Mommy is full of crap. I was no worse than her sons,” Shego declared.

“The sons that tried flying?” Kim asked.

The former thief scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you tried flying, too, Kimmie. You did jump off the roof, more than once according to the many tales we’ve heard. How about you, Duchess? What were you like as a kid?” 

“Good,” Bonnie answered and Kim laughed.

“Tell the truth,” the hero urged her, poking her in the thigh.

Bonnie blew a raspberry. “Fine, my behavior depended upon where I was. At home, I was on the bottom of the totem pole and I did my best to stay out of everyone’s way because I didn’t want to be tormented. I tried my best not to be at home. Outside, with my peers, I was…” Bonnie sighed. “I was very mean. I treated people how my siblings treated me, especially Kimmie.”

“Why’d you zero in on her anyway?” 

“Because she was nice was to me and because she was so amazing,” Bonnie answered with awe in her voice. “I came from a place where almost all I received was negative attention. To me, that was normal, so that’s what I gave Kim… all the time. I don’t want that for our baby.”

Kim kissed Bonnie’s cheek. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen because we’ll definitely be giving her all of the positive attention she could possibly need. She’ll be fine.” 

“I hope so,” Bonnie replied.

“We know so,” Shego insisted.

The trio was able to go to sleep after that, thoughts of what their baby girl would be like dancing through their minds. Along with that thought were images of a pregnant Shego. How would Shego be able to hold on for before her biological clock’s alarm blared and she needed to carry a baby? They would be ready. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Bonnie’s mouth dropped open as she walked into the break room of the firm to find some of her coworkers waiting with a surprise baby shower. Kim and Shego were there, along with their parents. Bonnie almost cried, which she blamed on the pregnancy and hormones.

“Sit down before you fall over,” Kim said, moving a big, decorated chair behind her pregnant spouse. Bonnie complied without a word. 

“What’s all this then?” Bonnie asked, voice trembling.

“Exactly what it looks like. A baby shower for the legal rottweiler,” one of her coworkers explained. 

“Did you?” Bonnie asked her wives.

“Nope, this is all your coworkers. They just called us to make sure we were here for it,” Shego explained. 

Bonnie arched an eyebrow. She was pretty private about her life outside of work when she was at work. She did not think they needed to know anything about her beyond her abilities to win cases. She definitely did not tell anyone about her wives, but then again every now and then her wives were up at the firm for her.

“We figured you’d want your best friends here,” another coworker said, motioning to Kim and Shego. Her wives chuckled. 

“Yeah, you want your best friends here,” Shego commented with an amused smirk.

“Now, I really didn’t think you guys liked me enough to do this,” Bonnie admitted before she realized what she was saying. Her coworkers laughed.

“You’re hard to get to know, but it’s not like we hate you, Bonnie. You’re an amazing lawyer and seem to be likeable person. We’d like to get to know you.”

Bonnie’s lip quivered and her eyes watered without her permission. Thankfully, she could blame her emotions on her pregnancy. Shego and Kim acted, getting the party started to distract everyone from Bonnie crying. She was able to use the time to get herself together. 

“Just so you know, the baby shower we have planned is going to be much better than this,” Isabel whispered to Bonnie.

“Isabel, stop. Everything is not a competition,” Ann scolded the martial artist.

“What? It will be. And you, of all people, can’t tell me everything isn’t a competition. You haggled over everything as we put the shower together and heaven help anyone that didn’t bend to your will,” Isabel retorted.

“Touché,” Bonnie snickered. “Where are the Dads?”

“Kane sends his apologizes, but he has long since refused to set foot in this building because of how they used to treat you. He wouldn’t be civil toward any of these people. He promised to call later,” Isabel explained. 

“James got stuck in a meeting. He said he’d try to sneak out, but I think they’d notice the head of the propulsion department missing,” Ann remarked.

Bonnie chuckled. “Well, he is a genius, he might pull it off.”

James Possible actually did find a way to get away to the baby shower. He was a pleasant surprise, along with all of the other presents that her coworkers gave her. There was cake and conversation. For the first time, Bonnie felt like she belonged at the firm beyond being a talented attorney. 

“Our baby shower will still be better,” Isabel hummed as she passed gifts to Bonnie.

“Way better,” Shego concurred as she took pictures with Ann.

Kim and Ann shook their head to the statement, but could not scold the Go women without appearing to be hypocrites, especially Kim. So, Kim helped with the presents, Ann continued taking pictures, and Bonnie continued enjoying herself. In the end, they needed the three cars they had to take everything away.

“James, thank God you drove here, too,” Ann commented with a handful of gifts that she was going to put in her car. She had to drive Isabel back home before she could return home.

The rocket scientist smiled as he shifted the pile of gifts in his arms. “I couldn’t miss this. Our daughter’s having a daughter. I can’t believe it!” He flashed a wide grin at Bonnie, who was just walking with them to the car. She had to go back to work, though. 

“Isn’t it great?” Isabel asked.

“Beyond great. I wonder what the little one will look like, act like,” James admitted.

“Well, we’ll find out in a couple of months,” Bonnie said, rubbing her own swollen stomach. 

-8-8-8-8-

Through thirty-six weeks of doctor’s appointments and little sonogram pictures, Shego and Kim both proved how similar they were to their fathers by taking those with calm pride, but totally freaking out when Bonnie went into labor. Bonnie was at work when it happened, planning to start her maternity next week. A request as she left in an ambulance got a coworker to call her spouses for her.

“Oh, my god! Where’s her go-bag?” Kim shouted as she marched from the bedroom to the living room to the bedroom again. 

“Who cares? Let’s go!” Shego shouted, already by the door.

“She’ll care when she wants a change of clothes!”

“We can just buy her new shit!”

Not wanting to see her two humans fight, Cali dragged the bag out from the back of the closet. Kim grabbed it and checked to make sure it was the right bag. She then grabbed a different bag that Cali hopped into; they were going to sneak her into hospital with them. Now, they could leave.

Bonnie had a private room and was in bed when they entered the suite. A nurse was checking on Bonnie and left after introducing herself as well as explaining how far along their wife was, not that the nurse knew that they were all married. Bonnie offered them a soft smile.

“How you feeling, baby?” Kim inquired as she placed the bags down by a pullout sofa. She hoped they did not have to make use of it. It was not like she and Shego would be able to fit on it, after all.

“I’m better now that you’re both here,” Bonnie replied with a smile. 

Shego pulled up a chair right next to the bed and took Bonnie’s hand. She massaged Bonnie’s knuckles with one hand and gently touched Bonnie’s enlarged belly. Kim came over and placed her hand Shego’s hand, entwining their fingers. 

“Can’t wait to meet her,” Shego said with a smile.

“Neither can someone else,” Kim remarked as Cali poked her head out of the bag.

The feline quietly padded over to them and leaped up onto Shego’s shoulder. They had explained to Cali that if she was going to stay in the hospital with them then she would have to be a silent as possible. The delivery suite was monitored, so the nurse would hear any noise in the room. Cali also had to scout the room for hiding places beyond her bag in order to duck into the closest one if a nurse entered the room. 

“Hey, little Gemma, ready to meet your moms?” Kim asked in a quiet voice. Cali tapped her with a paw. “Oh, and your first friend? We’re already for you.”

“Really ready. So, come on, precious gem,” Shego begged.

Gemma proved that she was going to be as stubborn and independent as her mothers because several hours later, Bonnie had not dilated further. Parents came and went and then came back. Brothers did the same. Friends came and went, requesting calls for when the show was really set to begin. Yori and Ron stayed while poor Monique was stuck out of town, trying to get a flight back home. 

“Dammit, isn’t she early?” Monique demanded and Kim could hear her friend pacing.

“Yes, by a couple of weeks,” Kim replied, under-exaggerating. Bonnie was almost a month early, but they had been assured that everything was fine. Of course, the fact that Gemma was taking her dear, sweet time to come was nerve wrecking to the point that they were beginning to think something was wrong.

It did not help matters that Bonnie was experiencing painful contractions. Kim and Shego hated not being able to do more than hold her hand, caress her forehead, or offer a small kiss to comfort her. Sometimes, she shook the bed as she gripped the nearest thing as a contraction ripped through her petite form.

It got worse before it got better and Bonnie had long ago decided on natural childbirth. Bonnie almost broke Kim’s hand as her body convulsed with from the latest contraction. Shego looked like she was ready to break, wishing they could do something more to comfort Bonnie.

“Bonnie, it’s not too late to change your mind. You can take the shot,” Shego practically pled with her. 

“No,” Bonnie replied through gritted teeth.

Kim was about to fall to her knees when Bonnie eased up on her hand. She was starting to regret helping Bonnie work out because her grip was killer now. Thankfully, she dilated to ten before two days passed and Gemma was born pale and pink with a head full of dark hair. The proud mothers got to hold her before the nurses took Gemma for observation because there was always a chance of her lungs being under-developed since she arrived early.

“Congratulations, Grandma,” Ann said to Isabel. 

“Congratulations to you as well, Nana,” Isabel replied with a grin.

They would have congratulated their daughters, but the new parents were busy with their own celebration, which had to do with a lot of brief kisses. Ann and Isabel had to leave the room to tell their husbands about the birth of their granddaughter because the men had left the room once the birthing had started.

Kane and James had sat out with their sons as well Wade, Monique, Ron, and Yori. Monique was happy the baby took her time coming so she could grab an emergency plane in to greet the kid. They all waited around for a chance to see the latest member of the family, Gemma Isabella Possible-Go. It was going to be a long trip for her when everyone wanted to hold her. Their proud grandfathers shook each other’s hands, too emotional to even say anything. Honestly, Isabel was surprised Kane had not fainted considering how much he had panicked when he heard Bonnie was in labor.

“Oh, my god, I’m a grandpa!” James grabbed Ann into a tight hug. “We’re grandparents!” Ann only laughed and hugged him back. 

“You’re an Uncle,” Monique told Ron in awe. He put his hand to his forehead and just shook his head. “If you’re this tongue-tied now, imagine when you become a Daddy.”

Ron’s eyes went wide and Yori smiled while patting him on the back. “Do not worry, Ron-kun. When the time comes, you will make an excellent father and you will be a great uncle.” 

Wade chuckled. “I think you guys just blew Ron’s mind.”

“Don’t worry, Ron. We’re uncles. We get to do all the fun stuff,” Tim assured him, clapping Ron on the shoulder. 

“We spoil Gemma and then send her back home for her moms to deal with the fallout,” Jim joked.

“That’ll be so much fun,” Wes declared and his twin came him a high-five.

-8-8-8-8-

“Welcome home, Gemma and her Mama,” Kim announced as the family marched into their home. Kim held the car seat that contained Gemma while Shego was carrying Bonnie in her arms. Cali had been nice enough to transform so that she could carry the bags. 

Gemma was asleep, so Kim put her in a basinet they had set up in the living room. Shego gently placed Bonnie on the couch. They all just mellowed in the living room for a second, cuddling and glancing at the basinet, waiting for Gemma to do something.

“This is surreal,” Kim said. 

“Incredibly so. We have a baby. We’re moms now,” Shego commented in awe.

“A beautiful baby girl,” Bonnie added.

Her wives nodded in agreement. In the few short days since her birth, Gemma had darkened some and she was not as pink. She had lovely turquoise eyes that Kim and Shego knew would control them for the rest of their days, as they had already been trained so well. But, there was always the chance that her eyes might change color, not that they wanted that. 

Bonnie was now officially on maternity leave, which would give her three months to bond with Gemma. But, right now, all Bonnie wanted to do was sleep, which was fine. Her wives had Gemma, when she happened to wake up. Cali trotted around them, curious about everything from feeding to diapers to crying to rocking Gemma to sleep.

Unfortunately, Cali’s curiosity was also dangerous. She got underfoot, almost tripping Kim while she was rocking Gemma to sleep. For a moment, olive eyes glared at the cat, but quickly softened.

“Cali, I need you to step out of the way. We need to be very careful with Gemma,” Kim said gently. 

Cali nodded and jumped up on the coffee table. She wandered the table, bumping the empty bottle that was there. Shego shooed her away with her hand. 

“You can’t rub up against Gemma’s bottle like that,” Shego scolded the feline.

Cali slinked back, not entirely sure what she had done wrong. She tried to stay out of the way while trying to see more of the baby. When Bonnie fed Gemma, she had decided on breast feeding long ago, Cali leaped up on the back of the couch, again, trying to get a closer look. Shego practically yanked her down. 

“You don’t need to be nose-deep during the feeding,” Shego stated as she dropped Cali to the floor.

“Shego, she’s just curious,” Kim scolded her older wife. 

“She doesn’t have to be that close. She’s breathing all in Gemma’s face. What if Gemma gets sick?” Shego countered.

“She could get sick from any of us breathing on her,” Kim argued. To be on the safe side, they had canceled class for a couple of weeks to avoid bringing home any foreign germs.

Shego opened her mouth and then closed it, letting them all know she had been on the verge of saying something hurtful. Instead, she turned and walked away. Kim sighed, hoping they had avoided something bad. She would find out a few days later that she had only delayed the inevitable.

-8-8-8-8-

Cali sat on the top of the basinet with her tail and a paw hanging over the side. She swayed her tail and Gemma smiled. Cali chuckled, delighted that she could amuse the baby, and she swayed her tail more. Gemma made a cooing noise. 

“What the hell are you doing now, Cali?” Shego barked as she entered the living room.

“Shego,” Kim sighed from her space on the sofa. 

“No, no, no, Princess, don’t say anything considering you’re just fucking letting her do this shit,” Shego snapped and then turned her attention back to their cat. “Get your fat ass down before you break the fucking thing and stop putting your fucking dirty paws in the baby’s face. In fact, get the fuck away from the baby.”

“Shego!” Kim jumped up, but the damage was done.

Cali’s face fell as if the world had collapsed on her. She was gone by the time Kim turned to try to offer her some comfort. Olive eyes glared at Shego.

“Shego, what is wrong with you? You’re being way too hard on Cali! I know being a mother brought more stress than we imagined, but you can’t keep treating Cali like she’s going to kill Gemma!” Kim pointed out. 

“She could hurt the baby, so stop being so eager to jump to her defense.”

“Stop being so quick to jump down her throat, especially when she hasn’t done anything wrong. You’re just going to make her paranoid around the baby and she will make a mistake around Gemma if you keep this up.” 

“Oh, please, if you let her get too comfortable around the baby she’s liable to hurt Gemma!”

“What is all is the yelling about?” Bonnie huffed as she stormed into the living room. She glanced into the basinet. “You’re going to wake Gemma. Now, what’s the problem?”

“Shego’s overreacting to Cali again. She chased the poor thing off,” Kim sneered. 

“Shego,” Bonnie sighed.

“Stop acting like I’m the problem here! We can’t have a filthy fucking animal touching the baby!” Shego exploded, panting in anger. Her wives gasped.

“Shego, you don’t mean that. Cali is not some filthy animal. She’s a part of our family and loves us deeply, including Gemma,” Kim pointed out. 

“That ‘filthy fucking animal’ saved my life,” Bonnie reminded the eldest.

Those two statements threw cold water on Shego’s fury. Her eyes softened and her shoulders slumped. She ran her hands through her hair as her eyes settled on the floor and just stared blankly at it.

“Shego, you have to calm down about Gemma or you’re going to drive yourself crazy,” Bonnie said as she and Kim moved to embrace their older wife.

“You’re already completely wound up and she’s barely a week old. How are you going to make it through the rest of her life if you can barely make it through her mostly sleeping through the day?” Kim pointed out.

Shego sighed. “She’s so tiny and I have to protect her…”

“Yes, but not from Cali. You know Cali wants to protect her as much as we do. Yes, we have to watch Cali with the baby, but not suspect of her anything. She’s going to have accidents because Cali’s like a curious child, but as long as we keep an eye on her and set ground rules, we should be able to avoid the serious accidents. Screaming at her won’t help. It’s just going to make her more edgy and that’s when something more than likely will happen,” Kim explained in a low, calm tone. 

Shego only nodded. She knew she had been hard on Cali since Gemma had been born really. She did not mean to be. It was just that every time she thought about Gemma, she remembered how small and helpless Gemma truly was. She had to protect Gemma from everything. But, they were right; Cali was not exactly a threat.

To apologize without having to say the words, Shego made Cali a steak for dinner. But, Cali never showed up to eat it. By the time it was bedtime, there was still no sign of the cat.

“I’m going to go look for her,” Kim stated as she slipped on her shoes.

“Kimmie, she’ll come back when she’s ready,” Shego insisted. 

“Yeah, but I’d rather be sure. She might get into trouble,” Kim said and was gone before her wives could object.

“Maybe you should go with her,” Bonnie suggested. 

“And leave you here with the baby alone?” Shego sounded positively scandalized. 

“You’re not going to be gone forever, love, and Gemma’s asleep. Kimmie might need you or Cali might need you,” Bonnie pointed out.

Shego sighed, but she was putting on her own shoes before she even realized it. She was out the door just as quickly. Bonnie shook her head.

“What am I going to do with your mothers, precious?” she asked the sleeping child in her arms. Gemma did not have an answer.

-8-8-8-8- 

Cali shivered as she curled into high niche in a building, not too far from home. She licked her bloody paw and tucked her whole body in as tightly as possibly could. Bellowing howls echoed through the night as the breeze cut through her battered form, making her tremble more. _I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home_. She was close, had considered returning, but decided against it. She would not dare go home, even as the howling grew closer; no, especially as the howling grew closer.

“Cali!” the familiar voice of her personal savior sounded over the blood-curdling howls. “Cali!”

The feline wanted to leap down and run to Kim, but then the howling sounded again. She tucked herself even deeper into the little corner of the building. The roaring howls seemed closer and she could hear the silent padding of approaching footsteps. 

“Cali!”

The temptation to jump and make a mad dash for Kim was overrode by the paralyzing terror dancing on her every nerve. Her teeth actually chattered and she wished she could just vanish back into the safety of her home. She would never go near the pup again if she just could go back home.

“Cali!” Kim’s voice was much closer now, as if it was just below her.

Taking a chance and peering out into the alley, she saw Kim, standing only a few feet away. She could take a chance, she could dive into Kim’s arms, but then Kim would take her home. They would be followed. Her humans would be in danger. The pup would be in danger.

“Cali!” Kim shouted again.

And then the padding footsteps got closer. The small pack was now in the alley, at Kim’s front and back. They were massive predators with large, tawny bodies with thick legs, big paws, and bigger teeth. Long fur blew in the cold night air as the pack released more bellowing howls their thick muzzles.

“Why do I have a feeling that DNAmy is somewhere nearby,” Kim muttered to herself as the four animals snarled at her. She assumed she was looking at wolf-lions or some combination of wolves and big cats. She guessed DNAmy was trying to recreate Cali, but in a bigger form.

As the four drew closer to Kim, Cali growled and leaped out of her hiding place. Transforming on her way down, she landed by her human, but watched the pack.

“Cali, where have you been and why are you bleeding?” Kim demanded. 

“Original alpha sent a pack to come get me,” Cali answered, blood pouring down her arm and dripping from her fingertips.

“Of course. Well, they’ll have to go through me,” Kim pointed out. The growling animals made if clear that they had no problem with that.

The pack jumped at them simultaneously. Kim ducked one and dodged the mighty claws of the other. Cali roared before she rolled under the other two and then slashed at a hind leg with her good hand. They growled and turned back to her, claws out. 

“Cali, be careful,” Kim called as she tried her best to use her two opponents against each other, but they seemed in tune with each other.

“You, too,” Cali grunted. 

Kim moved and kicked one of the beasts in the face, earning a growl and swipe of the claws of the other. Jumping back, she avoided the deadly claws and tried to figure at an escape route. The fire escape seemed like a likely candidate, so she went to grab the bar. She had not been able to pull herself up fast enough as one of the creatures slashed her thigh very deeply.

“Damn!” Kim hissed as her blood poured from her leg.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego grumbled to herself, angry to be out looking for Kimmie and their cat when she could have been at home holding their daughter. But, she knew she had no one to blame but herself. She had to stop overreacting with Cali.

The thoughts left her mind as she heard the unmistakable sound of her wife cursing, which was accompanied by animal noises. She took off in the direction of the noise to find Kim kicking what looked like a giant wolf, but it was the wrong color, in the mouth. Cali was on her back behind Kim, trying to fend off three other strangely colored canines. 

“Only these two,” Shego sighed as she ignited her hands and joined the fray. When her plasma first hit the creatures, they turned to snarl at her, but as the plasma kept coming, they wised up and ran off.

“Shego, we need to follow them. They were sent by DNAmy, trying to get Cali back or trying to kill Cali,” Kim said.

“Cali and I have it. You take your ass home and get those gashes looked at,” Shego ordered as she trotted off. Cali followed right behind her. They moved quickly enough that she did not have to worry about Kim being behind them, not with those wounds on her legs.

The pack led them right to DNAmy, who was hiding out in an old factory. Shego decided for the direct approach because she was not going to have this incredibly dense and irksome woman endanger anyone in her family, including the cat she had just screamed out a few hours ago. Cali paused when they were right outside.

“Cali, what are you doing? Come on,” Shego urged.

“You’re returning me, aren’t you? Because I hurt the pup,” Cali said, stepping back while being hunched over in a very feline-like manner. 

“What?” Shego asked and then realized what things must look like. “Are you nuts, Cali? I’m not returning you to that fucking asshole. I’d never give you away. You’re a member of our family. We’re your humans and you’re our cat.”

Cali stared at her with wide, sad golden eyes. “But… you yell at me… and get angry… a lot… especially around the pup.” 

Shego put her hands up. “I know, I know. It’s just because I worry about the pup. Just like you do. I’m just not very good at worrying yet. I’m going to get better and I know you’re not purposely trying to hurt the baby.”

Cali was quiet for a second. “I was gonna go home. I was gonna come back, but then the pack showed up and I didn’t want to led them home, to you or Bonnie or Kimmie… or the pup.”

Shego sighed and marched over to Cali. She looked at all of the cuts and bruises. Cali was bleeding badly from her left hand and shoulder. Emerald eyes softened and she reached out to pet her. Cali closed her eyes, flinching, until she realized Shego was caressing her. Shego felt like an ass, knowing Cali thought the worst of her now. Cali opened her eyes and Shego smiled. 

“You’re a good cat, Cali. I’m sorry for what I said. You’re doing a good job with Gemma. Now, let’s go talk to your old alpha, so the bitch can understand you’re a member of our family now and she’s never getting you back, ever,” Shego declared.

Cali smiled and followed Shego as she blew the door off the factory. DNAmy was whining about her babies as she patched them up. Shego and Cali were in her face almost immediately. Shego had her hands blazing and the pack whimpered while backing away.

“Shego!” DNAmy gasped, backing up also.

“Don’t go anywhere! Listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once: leave Cali alone. She’s not yours! She’s our cat, part of our family, and nothing of yours!” Shego barked. 

“She’s my baby and you have her living in that unholy household of yours!” DNAmy screeched.

“Did you just seriously refer to my household as unholy? Have you stopped to look in a mirror once because last I checked, if nature wanted certain creatures to exist they would and if nature didn’t want them to exist, they don’t. What the fuck are you doing now? It’s not enough that you made a wocelot, but now you’re making fucking wolions? The hell is wrong with you?” Shego countered. 

“Not just those,” DNAmy said and the smirk that settled on her face made Shego believe that she had made a tactical error in coming with just Cali, who was injured. 

DNAmy pressed a button and the factory was flooded with lights. The place was full of large predators that had been mixed with other large predators. By Shego’s count, they were outnumbered twenty to one.

“Fuck,” she muttered, but she did not back down.

“I’ll take back my baby once they’re done with you,” DNAmy declared. 

As soon as the animals moved, Shego was surprised that Yori and Ron dropped into the factory. Her brothers followed and so did Kim’s brothers, who came armed with science. Wade also showed up with some science to help. Shego and Cali looked around at everyone.

“Kim called us,” Ron simply explained. 

“Of course,” Shego smiled.

Fighting off the animals was not very difficult with the super-help. And to clean up the mess, Global Justice showed up. Another call from Kim. They took the animals and DNAmy, who was wanted for some strange crimes, like stealing from a lot of zoos and genetic labs as well as environmental terrorism.

“I didn’t even know environmental terrorism was a thing,” Ron remarked with a chuckle.

“Thanks guys,” Shego said to everyone. 

“Thank us with a cookout tomorrow. We want to see the baby,” Hego pointed out with a smile. All of the brothers nodded in agreement with that.

Shego chuckled. “Okay. Come on, Cali, time to get hone and get you stitched up.”

Cali barely had the energy to nod. She changed back into her proper form and Shego carried her home. When they entered the house, Ann was there, stitching Kim up. 

“Hey, Doc, I got your next patient,” Shego said, holding up Cali.

Ann only nodded, undoubtedly expecting it. She glanced at Shego. “You’ll be after Cali.”

Shego could not argue because she had certainly seen better days. Cali would be stuck in her humanoid form until she got the stitches out in a few days. It was the end of a long night, but the start of better days.

-8-8-8-8-

Gemma survived her first family gathering, which was the promised cookout. And even though she had only sat in the living room in her basinet, it seemed to zap her of all of her energy. Her mothers were the same. She was laid out in her basinet by the bed while her mothers were knocked out in their bed. Cali was just as dead to the world, stretched out over Kim’s hip and Shego’s thigh. It was a peaceful night. The house was trying to be peaceful now. Well, as peaceful as a newborn would allow.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end.


	15. Social Change 495 — How to Create a Happy Family Unit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own these characters; Disney does. I do own Cali, Isabel, Kane, Gemma, Regina, and Kendra.

15: Social Change 495 — How to Create a Happy Family Unit

“Gem, will you leave Cali alone before she leads you into a dark corner of the house and leaves you there?” Bonnie said to the toddler, who giggling like mad. Bonnie was trying to work in the living room, but the noise might drive her to her rarely used home office. 

“Cali’s bothering me, Momma!” the two-year-old replied as she tried to escape the cat on still somewhat shaky legs.

“She wouldn’t be bothering you if you would just leave her to sleep,” Shego pointed out from her space in the kitchen. She was making dinner, even though her wives had tried to protest. She had only just released from the hospital a couple of days ago, but she felt like she needed something to do.

“Stop all this running before you wake up your sister,” Bonnie scolded Gemma, who did not seem to be listening, which was a habit her mothers were intent on breaking her of.

Gemma bolted right by her newborn baby sister, Regina Ann Possible-Go. The newborn had dark green eyes and was rather pale now. They wondered if she would gain color as she got older, as Gemma had, or if she would take after the mother who bore her. Curls of brown hair wrapped around the side of her head, but she was oddly bald up top. Her mothers found it endearing.

Regina was in a dead sleep tucked in close to Kim, who appeared to be on her way to dreamland also after spending the day chasing after Gemma. Regina was the opposite of Gemma in a way. Where Gemma had come almost a month early, Regina had stayed put for almost two weeks past her due date. Shego had to have a C-section, which did not bother her since she healed quickly.

“Gemma!” Bonnie barked as the little girl climbed on the sofa with Cali hot on her heels.

None of the mothers were surprised when Gemma flung herself up on the back of the couch and probably planned to scale down. Instead, she plummeted over the side and Bonnie gasped. The toddler hit the floor with a thud.

“Precious!” Bonnie cried, ready to run to their child. If Kim or Shego had witnessed this, they would not even batted an eye, but Bonnie still could not get used to the reckless behavior.

Gemma got up like nothing happened and took off like a shot, only to get tackled by Cali. The feline loomed over Gemma as a show of dominance. Gemma never seemed to get it and just started petting Cali in the gentle manner that her mothers had taught her. Cali purred in spite of herself and then shook her head, pulling away from the toddler. Gemma giggled as she pulled herself up and followed Cali, who was walking away.

The cat went and made herself comfortable under Bonnie’s legs for all of five seconds before Gemma was at her again. Cali batted at Gemma’s hands and the child laughed as she batted back. Cali knew this game would annoy Bonnie, so she picked up and moved. Gemma followed and they went back to gently slapping at each other. The simple game quickly transformed into them grappling with each other. 

“Why is Gemma Kim?” Shego wondered aloud for what had to be the millionth time followed by a loud groan.

“Stop trying to blame me. You were the one trying to fly at the age of three,” Kim pointed out. 

“I had Hadrian egging me on. This one is all alone like you, bugging out by herself,” Shego countered.

“She has Cali,” Kim argued. 

“She’s the one who gets Cali started,” Bonnie felt the need to point out.

Gemma was not really by herself with Cali around, but she typically got Cali hyped up because Cali understood that Gemma was too small to do anything really, like play games or really wrestle around with. Of course, Gemma did not seem to think that she was too small to do anything and especially liked to climb things. They already knew Gemma had a lot of hospital runs in her future. They hoped she had Shego’s healing ability along with her hair color.

Gemma wrestled around with Cali for a while before the cat actually tired out. The toddler padded over to Kim to stare at her baby sister for a moment. She reached out and touched Regina’s tiny fingers.

“She’s so small,” Gemma giggled. “That’s how she fit in Mommy’s tummy, right?”

Kim smiled. “Yup, and that’s how you fit in Momma’s tummy.” 

Gemma nodded. “Mom, your tummy is too small for someone to fit in.” She then moved to poke Kim in the stomach. 

“Your mom’s stomach would grow, like mine and Mommy’s did,” Bonnie assured the child with a small smile. Times like now made Bonnie forget that Gemma was more than likely going to have her go prematurely grey.

“How did Gina get into Mommy’s tummy anyway? Did they cut Mommy open and put her in?” the toddler asked. 

“Something like that,” Shego replied.

“Did it hurt when they cut you to put her in? It hurt when they cut her out, right? Because the hospital didn’t give you back,” Gemma reasoned.

Her mothers laughed at her assessment of the situation and Gemma moved onto her next misadventure. She seemed to contemplate going in the kitchen, but there were very plain and clear rules that she was not allowed in there without permission. The second she disappeared from sight, Bonnie called her back, even though Cali moved to follow her. Of course, before she returned, they all heard something crash and Cali screeched. Gemma returned with a giggle in her throat and Cali dragged her feet back into the living area. 

“That’s it. Gemma, you sit your little tail down and practice your ABCs,” Shego barked.

“Sit with me,” Bonnie said, patting the clean area of the couch.

Gemma pouted, but did as ordered. Bonnie handed the little girl an old-fashioned book for her to trace the letters of the alphabet. Gemma was not very coordinated with a pencil, but all of her mothers believed that practice made perfect. Besides, it kept her from bouncing around the house.

-8-8-8-8- 

“Gemma, sit your little tail down and eat your breakfast!” Shego ordered as the family tried to gather at the table in the morning.

“And put your uniform jacket on!” Bonnie added as she came out with the now six-year-old’s tan-colored jacket.

Gemma was busy trying to climb a bookshelf until Kim nonchalantly plucked her down. She wiggled and squealed, but there was no escaping her mom. Kim calmly planted the rambunctious child in a chair next to four-year-old Regina, who was sitting in a booster seat. Regina paused from eating her oatmeal to laugh. 

“Mom carried you like the baby,” Regina pointed out.

“I’m not a baby!” Gemma declared.

“But, Mom carried you like one.” 

“Shut it, please and thank you,” Gemma growled. Regina laughed more as Bonnie came around and put Gemma’s uniform jacket on her. “Momma! I’m trying to eat!” Gemma complained.

“Yes, well, I need you ready for school by the time I have to leave for work. You know the routine and yet every day you try to make us late. Now, come on,” Bonnie gently urged.

Gemma pouted a bit, feeling thoroughly reprimanded apparently. Bonnie leaned down and kissed Gemma’s cheek, chasing away the sorrowful expression. But, it fled to Regina’s face. 

“Oh, why is the darling queen making that face?” Bonnie asked, even though she knew.

“I wan’ a kiss,” Regina declared. 

Bonnie laughed, but gave in instantly. She hoped they always felt like that, wanting a kiss from their Momma. She also hoped the way Regina’s face lit up always happened when she gave them kisses. 

While those two ate their breakfast, Shego brought out “the baby.” Kim had given birth to their youngest and final daughter, Kendra Victoria Possible-Go, a little over a year ago at the urging of her wives. Suddenly after Regina, both Bonnie and Shego decided they wanted at least three daughters. Kim took her turn, but let them know that Kendra was it for her as far as pregnancy went. Pregnancy had not agreed with the overactive, hyperactive hero. After Kendra was born, no one said anything about more children, but it was early yet.

Kendra had been their biggest baby and Kim had been in labor for three days, which added to why she would never do it again. Like her sisters, Kendra had been born very pale, but she did not seem to be getting darker like her sisters had. Green eyes looked on the world with wonder and curiosity with dark locks that seemed brown and black — they were not sure which color — sometimes blocked her view of the world.

“Oh, Mommy, is Grandma or Nana coming today?” Regina asked curiously after finishing her food. Kim picked up the bowl and a plate that held her toast crumbs. 

“Both probably. You know how they are,” Shego replied.

“I wanna go with Grandma and Nana,” Gemma said with a pout. 

“They’ll come get you from school, like they always do,” Kim assured the child.

“Then we go to the park!” Gemma cheered, pumping her fist high in the air. 

Her mothers smiled, even though Gemma in a park was all of their worst nightmares. She was the child that wandered off, approached unfamiliar dogs, and attempted daredevil stunts from playground equipment. Her Mommy and Momma continued to swear that she was Kim, but she did not understand what they meant. Of course, she would not mind being her Mom. 

Regina was not as bad with the daredevil stunts, but wandered, too. But, Regina at least heard her name being called and returned when beckoned. Regina was also the child who chucked rocks at things, usually beehives. She charged ducks and geese, just to see what they would do, every now and then. Typically, though, they could count on her to just play in the park.

The trio worked to get Gemma ready for school, making sure she had everything that she needed and making sure she did not have unnecessary items, like rope or grappling hooks. Bonnie hustled their oldest child out the door as soon as possible. Shego and Kim then had to get the other girls ready. 

“Princess, where’s the baby bag?” Shego asked from inside Kendra’s bedroom.

“By the sofa. Regina has it,” Kim replied from in the living room. 

By the time Shego came out, the front door opened and the Moms entered. Regina charged them, hugging them both around the leg. Kim stepped over with Kendra, who cheered as soon as she saw them.

“Baby!” Isabel cooed, but Ann grabbed Kendra before the martial artist. Isabel’s shoulders fell. 

“We’ll have them back by four as always,” Ann said as she coddled the baby to her.

The girls’ mothers nodded and said their goodbyes. The grandparents typically watched the girls during the day so Bonnie, Kim, and Shego could get some work done. They all met back up for lunch, except Gemma because she had school. At least one grandparent picked Gemma up from school, usually James because his job was close to her school. James would share a snack with Gemma, just so they had “a thing” together, which her parents were happy about. The girls then played in a park or somewhere else with their cousins until four when they would be returned to their mothers. Gemma and Regina then attended Kim’s last class of the day. After that, homework was done and dinner was eaten. The girls were in bed by eight, only to wake up and do it all again the next day.

-8-8-8-8-

“Thank God we didn’t have anymore kids. These two alone will be the death of us,” Shego muttered as she and her wives sat outside of the principal’s office at their daughters’ private school. Bonnie had refused to let their daughters go to public school, even though they had all gone to public school. She wanted their daughters to have better everything than what she had, which they did not argue with because they could agree with that way of thinking. They were just going to do their best not to spoil their girls. 

“Why do I feel like I’m waiting to get in trouble?” Kim wondered aloud, staring down at her feet for a moment.

“Because this is our third time here in a month and you have to assume the woman is questioning our parenting skills by now,” Bonnie answered. 

“I’m starting to question our so-called parenting skills,” Shego joked. 

Before the other two could say anything, they were called into the office. They shook hands with the principal, who they were very familiar with, which was sometimes a good thing and sometimes not so much. She was aware of their circumstances, which was one of the reasons Bonnie had insisted their daughters be enrolled in the private school. There were a number of gay parents and staff. Of course, they were the only trio, but it was not a big deal. They had let the principal know they were all married after Gemma made it clear they would be up at the school often, typically because she injured herself. 

“Tell me that Gem didn’t get into the pool again,” Shego sighed as they sat down. They still could not figure out how she bypassed several locks and gates and, of course, she was not telling.

“No, thankfully not. I figure it would be best if you heard it from them first,” the principal replied. 

The girls were sitting quietly in the corner. When the principal motioned to them, Gemma and Regina approached. At ten and eight respectively, the sisters were different in coloring, but similar in the sense that it was easy to tell that they were sisters. They were both wearing the school uniform, but Gemma’s was wrinkled, probably from climbing on things.

“What happened? And one at a time,” Bonnie said to the girls.

The sisters looked at each other, trying to silently decide who would explain. They then both opened their mouths, but stopped when they noticed the other was going to talk. They glared at each other, as if trying to will the other to not speak. It was becoming increasingly obvious that having the genes of three dominant women coursing through their veins made it impossible for the girls to defer to each other.

“I’m older, I should go,” Gemma argued. This particular argument never worked, but it was always her opening shot. 

“I punched the kid, I should go,” Regina countered, hitting her chest with her palm.

“But, I punched his friend and I started it because I told him to stop bothering that little kid.”

“So!” That was Regina’s comeback whenever her sister got the better of her. The thing that struck their parents as funny was that Shego insisted they have the girls close in age so they could be friends.

“So, people were punched… again,” Shego sighed, shaking her head.

Bonnie rubbed between her eyes. “Go and Possible genes,” she muttered. 

“Are the little boys all right?” Kim asked, looking away from their daughters back to the principal.

“Yes, the boys are fine. Thankfully your daughters are showing some restraint, but they still fail to grasp the concept of telling an adult when they witness an injustice,” the principal answered. 

“What happened?” Bonnie asked once more.

Gemma curled her lip. “Brent was picking on a little kid and I told him to stop. He pushed the little kid away and made the little kid fall.” 

“And then he pushed Gem. He can’t just push my sister!” Regina declared, puffing out her chest. It was hard to believe she was the quiet one.

“We’re giving them a week detention,” the principal said plainly.

“Fair enough,” Bonnie agreed, which meant her wives agreed. Early on when it was clear that they would be having these problems with the girls, there were times that Kim or Shego would defend the girls, but Bonnie wanted their daughters to understand that they had to follow the rules and if they did not, there would be consequences. 

“But, we were heroes! We stopped the bad guys, just like you!” Gemma objected with wild arm movements. Regina nodded in total agreement.

“We told you that you can only stop bad guys when you have permission, just like us,” Kim reminded them. 

“Did anyone give you permission?” Shego asked with a stern expression.

Both girls pouted. “No, ma’am.”

“Then you shouldn’t be stopping bad guys,” Kim stated.

The girls deflated noticeably. They were going to have detention for the week and there would be some privileges taken away at home. Their mothers shook the principal’s hand again before departing. Before exiting the office completely, Gemma turned to the principal.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell a teacher. I just wanted to save him,” the girl explained with a pout. It was hard to not outright forgive her just from her expression, but her mothers had years of practice with dealing with pathetic pouts. 

“I know. It’s a noble quality you both have, but you have to do so within the rules,” the principal replied.

“We know, but sometimes it’s easier and stuff gets done right away when you do it yourself,” Regina chimed in.

The principal laughed. “A teacher can be just as effective. Give them a chance. Besides, heroes have to do the hard things, not the things that are easier.” The sisters nodded; that made sense to them. Their mothers smiled.

-8-8-8-8-

Family time was usually bustling with noise and activity, but not that night. No, it was an oddly quiet affair, mostly because Gemma and Regina could only sit or the couch, even when their homework was done. Kendra wrestled with Cali, who was extremely careful with the child, even though she was in her cat form. After a while, Kendra gave up and crawled onto the couch with her sisters.

“Kenny, leave your sisters alone. They’re on timeout,” Bonnie cooed to the baby of the bunch. 

“But…” Kendra sighed and slid off the sofa.

She went over to Shego, who was sketching. Shego had begun drawing a lot more since the birth of Gemma because she wanted to pass the talent and interest onto her children. So far, only Kendra seemed completely taken with the idea.

“Mommy, where’s my book?” the six-year-old inquired, leaning against Shego and eyeing her work with delighted emerald eyes. She was almost as pale as Shego, but not quite there. 

Shego handed Kendra her sketchpad and the little girl quietly drew with her mother. Shego brushed the girl’s dark brown locks out of her face, earning a giggle from her. Kim had been a little sad that none of the girls had inherited her hair color. They all wore their hair long, but from the look of Kendra’s bangs, it was about to be time for haircuts.

“You look like a shaggy dog,” Shego teased the baby. 

“My hair is like Momma’s,” Kendra remarked with a chuckle.

Bonnie tried to look up and glare, but her bangs blocked her eyes. Shego and Kendra laughed together. Bonnie huffed, blowing her hair out of her eyes.

“I’ll schedule us for hair appointments by the end of the week,” the lawyer promised.

“Yeah, we gonna do beauty day!” Kendra cheered.

The other two girls sighed, even though they wanted to cheer, too. They loved “beauty day” when they spent all day with their moms, getting their hair done, having manicures and pedicures, buying new clothes, and stuff like that, but they were not allowed to make noise while they were sitting perfectly still on the couch. Timeout was a fate worse than death. 

“Momma, can we apologize and then move, please?” Gemma requested. 

“What are you apologizing for now?” Bonnie asked. She was seated on the floor, going over documents for work.

Gemma was quiet and rubbed her forehead. She could be very introspective when she finally took a moment to slow down. They suspected it was a quality she inherited from Bonnie.

“We just want to be heroes, like you guys. Mom and Mommy go after the bad guys and catch them—” Gemma’s explanation was cut off by the middle child. 

“With kung-fu and then you put them in jail for being bad. We could do that, too, but school doesn’t have jail. Only detention. And why do we have detention? Are we going to go to jail when we get big?” Regina asked.

“Yup, that’s why you got the timeout!” Kendra proclaimed with a chuckle.

“Stop it,” Kim scolded the baby, giving her tiny foot a little tug. “None of you are going to jail. You’re on timeout and have detention because you broke the rules. You’re learning the importance of following the rules now, so you don’t break the rules when you get big and you don’t go to jail.”

Gemma and Regina nodded. It made sense to them, so that helped explain why from that moment onward their mothers rarely got called to school for something beyond one of the girls getting hurt. They still stood up for people, but they did their best to avoid a fight. 

-8-8-8-8-

Shego paced the waiting area outside of the principal’s office. Her wives tried to calm her down, but she was in no mood to be quelled. Not when Gemma’s knuckles were bruised and some Congressman’s snot-nosed sons were sporting charred eyebrows. It was not a good day to find out that Gemma had inherited Shego’s powers; well, not for the little boys who had outraged her anyway.

“I’m sorry, Momma. Am I gonna go to jail?” Gemma asked in a tearful tone from her seat in between Bonnie and Kim.

“No, of course not, baby. We would never let our precious gem go to jail,” Bonnie answered, kissing her forehead.

“What about me?” Regina inquired, tucked under Kim’s arm.

“Like your Mommy always tells you, you’re the queen, so we can’t let them put the queen in jail,” Kim replied. Regina had “sparked” a bit during the whole confrontation, but had not shown full-blown plasma like her sister. 

“I’ll go to jail, but we did the right thing,” Kendra declared from next to Bonnie. It had been an extra special morning to find that their daughters had banded together to get sent to the principal.

The door opened and the Possible-Go family was called in. The troublemakers, as far as the family was concerned, were sitting at the principal’s desk, occupying all four chairs. The ladies were left to stand, which did not bother them. 

“I’m sorry you’re all back here under such stressful conditions,” the principal said. It had been almost a complete year since the family had to come in for the girls fighting. Of course, they had been there for several of Gemma’s other stunts, like when she cracked her forehead open after falling off of the banister in the stairwell. She had been sliding down it before losing her balance.

“What happened?” Shego demanded because they had already gotten the girls’ side of things.

“What happened is that your daughter behaved like a wild animal and attacked my son!” the Congressman bellowed, climbing to his feet to loom over all of them. 

Shego opened her mouth, presumably to literally bite his head off. Bonnie stepped forward, glaring at the man. She proudly held Gemma in front of her.

“First off, our daughters have names and you would do well to use them. Second off, none of our daughters would have touched your sons if they did not undoubtedly pick up hateful language from your household,” Bonnie declared.

“What!” He was turning red in the face.

“What, indeed. Did your sons in fact tell our youngest, Kendra, that she was a faggot and her mommy was a dyke with her older sisters within earshot?” Bonnie asked, knowing the answer. 

“I didn’t say that! They’re lying!” the oldest boy shouted.

“Our daughters don’t lie. They have a lot of bad habits, but lying is not one of them,” Kim stated.

“They are!” the youngest boy now spoke up. “I just asked her a question and she threw her lunchbox at me before the other two came over!” The bandages on his nose and the rings around his eyes suggested he spoke the truth about the lunchbox.

“I demand something be done about these dangerous brats! One of them had fire!” the Congressman huffed. 

“Dangerous? All right, sir, I’m going to have to ask you to politely—” Kim started, but her wife jumped in before she could finish.

“Shut the fuck up!” Shego ordered.

“Please and thank you,” Kim ended quite courteously.

“Excuse me? Do you know who I am?” he roared.

“A snotty, uptight politician that’s going to be out of a job once I start telling people about your homophobia and your terrible attitude toward little girls that defend themselves unless you calm down because unlike you we’re well known and liked around the world, not just the country or your little district,” Kim declared with a glare. 

He scoffed. “I will not—!” He yelped and shut up immediately as Shego ignited her hands.

“How about a little fire then, Scarecrow?” she remarked.

He sputtered, but could not get out a complete sentence. As he dropped to his seat, his boys huddled behind him. His wife appeared to be in shock, staring with wide eyes at Shego’s display of power. 

Shego smirked. “I always wanted to say that. But, now maybe we can get a word in. Our little girls don’t lie and they don’t fight without reason. Your boys said very hateful things toward our daughters. Added to it, you have said awful things to us. Now, this is going to go very simply, your little monsters will stay away from our girls forever and eternity or Kim Possible is going to totally ruin all chances you have at any political career. In fact, she’ll ruin any chance you have at any career ever again.”

“Kim Possible,” the Congressman gasped and stared at the redhead. “International hero and philanthropist?” It was a little amazing that he did not recognize her in the first place, but he was clearly so self-centered, he always assumed he was the most important person in the room. 

“And after I’ve said my peace, Shego will have that much more to add,” Kim said, motioning to the former thief.

“Shego?” His eyes looked ready to fall out of his skull because over the years Shego had made a name for herself in charity work, as well as occasionally helping Kim and Ron save the world.

“And if that’s not enough, we can have the family attorney, Bonnie Possible-Go, make a case out of it,” Shego added. Again, he sputtered, because the years had been very kind to their hard-working spouse, who had changed her focus in law by basically becoming a civil rights lawyer, especially in the gay community. She had put more than a few bigoted politicians and communities in their place advocating for equal rights.

“Okay, wait,” he wheezed. 

“The reason our daughters go here is because it’s a safe haven. They can focus on their education rather than deal with stuff like this. So, I think an apology is in order and then your sons need to stay away from Gemma, Regina, and Kendra for the rest of their time here. Agreed?” Bonnie reasoned.

“But, they started it!” the boys insisted. “And played with fire!” 

“It wasn’t fire, idiot. Gemma didn’t even know she could do it,” Regina stated.

“Listen,” the congressman said with a shaky voice. “I think you boys need to apologize to the girls and you should know better than to hit girls anyway.”

The boys looked aghast, but a glare from their father got apologizes clawed out of their mouths. The family left that, the congressman mumbling something about a prior engagement. The Possible-Go family glared at them all the way out.

“I’m sorry about that,” the principal said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Kim replied. 

“Still, one of the reasons many people trust us with their children is because of our reputation for tolerance. This kind on thing should not happen here. I’ve already it clear that another bigoted remark from the boys will lead to expulsion. So, Gemma, Regina, Kendra, if something like this happens again, you should use your words, all right?” the principal asked.

“We know,” the girls all groaned.

“I’m sorry for burning them. I didn’t know I could do that,” Gemma stated. She looked at the principal and then up at her mothers. She needed them to believe she had not singed the kid on purpose, even though he probably deserved it. 

Shego reached down and caressed the top of Gemma’s head to assure her they believed her. “We’ll work on it, so you don’t have to worry about you hurting yourself… more than usual or anyone else,” she promised, both her daughter and the principal.

The principal nodded. “Honestly, I thought they all did that since you’re their mother.”

Shego chuckled, but they had never considered it because the girls never showed signs of it when they were babies. But, the mothers supposed that the powers could be dormant until a certain time. They supposed it was time for the girls to have a doctor visit as soon as they left.

“So… are we not in trouble?” Kendra asked, always looking for clarification before she could move onto the next thing. 

“Not this time. You shouldn’t have to put up with such things at school,” the principal replied. “But, no more fighting from you three.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the girls said with strong nods.

The family left after that. The mothers quickly called Ann as well as Shego’s doctor cousin to set up appointments for the girls. As it turned out, they all did seem to carry the markers for Shego’s powers, but only Gemma had it activated. Making the mothers almost faint, the doctors theorized it might be connected to puberty. Next, Gemma would be liking boys!

-8-8-8-8-

Family gatherings at the Possible-Go home were always epic affairs, but the most recent one was even more so after everyone heard about what the girls went through. Now, everyone needed to make sure the girls were all right. With the size of the two families, Shego, Kim, and Bonnie had to expand once again instead of hosting parties on the roof anymore. 

Basically, they turned the area behind their building into a park. It had been a parking lot, but with a lot of work, it became a huge backyard. There was a large fence around it, but most of the time they left the area open to the public as long as the public kept it clean. For the most part, their neighbors appreciated it and minded their trash. The fence was closed, though, when they had private family time.

The grill was fired up and the rather large family began mingling. The girls darted off with their cousins, which there were plenty of, mostly boys oddly enough. Ron and Yori had two sons; she was currently carrying a daughter. Hego had a wife and son, as did both Wegos. Mego had adopted a little girl. Jim had a son and daughter with his wife. Wade had a wife and son. Monique was married and carrying a little girl. Johnnie and Brick had gotten married and got their dog, who bothered Cali in whatever form she took. Tim was the only one without a kid and seemed to have no intention of marrying his girlfriend of nearly eight years; he did seem to be reconsidering the child thing, though.

“Hey, Grandpa, Poppa, look what I can do!” Gemma shouted, running over to show her grandfathers her powers. They were working the large grill. It was always a fifty-fifty chance things would turn into a light show when they worked the grill. 

“Hey, why does Gemma have powers, but not me?” Lucius, Hego’s son, demanded. He was only seven, but his grandparents feared he might mimic his father by forcing a rivalry with his older cousins, Gemma and Regina, who did not even seem to notice.

“Do they all have powers?” Tim wondered aloud and he picked up Kendra by her foot, holding her upside down. “Flare for me, Kenny.” 

Kendra giggled. “Put me down, Uncle Tim. I don’t flare! I draw!”

“You do draw very well,” he agreed as he put her down.

Kendra ran off, going to get her sketchpad to show her grandmothers everything that she drew. She trotted past Regina, who was tucked under Bonnie’s arm and reading quietly. Until Ron and Yori’s sons stole her book, anyway. She took after them and there was an “epic” ninja battle.

Laughter filled the air, along with love and happiness. 

-8-8-8-8-

The end

Well, everyone, this is the end of this crazy ride. I hope you enjoyed it. I’m going back to my usual padded cell. Hopefully, I will “see” you all again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna see more of my fanfics, they're all at FFN under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fanfiction.net/~starvinglunatic). If you wanna see some original stories, you can look at FP under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fictionpress.com/u/576301/).


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